imprison

verb

im·​pris·​on im-ˈpri-zᵊn 

imprisoned; imprisoning; imprisons

transitive verb

: to put in or as if in prison : confine

imprisonment

im-ˈpri-zᵊn-mənt 

noun

Synonyms of imprison

• jail
• incarcerate

Examples of imprison in a Sentence

He was imprisoned for murder.

He has threatened to imprison his political opponents.

Recent Examples on the Web

Released from the icy chamber that imprisoned her for centuries, Kristtörn the Christmas Witch awakens from her slumber to find that her favorite holiday is overrun by the Kringle Corporation. —Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 30 Nov. 2025

The love triangle drama all culminates on Fiyero and Glinda's wedding day, when Elphaba returns to the Emerald City to release all the animals imprisoned by the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), inadvertently interrupting their ceremony. —Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Nov. 2025

The National Guard was brought in, imposing martial law and helping to round up and imprison Black people. —Kiki Intarasuwan, CBS News, 24 Nov. 2025

More than one hundred thousand civilians were imprisoned and more than two hundred thousand were killed. —Victor J. Blue, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French emprisoner, from en- + prison prison

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for imprison

• arisen
• kisan
• mizzen
• nisan
• prison
• risen

Kids Definition

imprison

verb

im·​pris·​on im-ˈpriz-ᵊn 

imprisoned; imprisoning

-ˈpriz-(ə-)niŋ

: to put in or as if in prison

imprisonment

-ˈpriz-ən-mənt 

noun

Legal Definition

imprison

transitive verb

im·​pris·​on

: to confine in prison especially as punishment for a crime compare false imprisonment

imprisonment noun