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

Ordinary Belarusians who took part in protests were rounded up and prosecuted, landing hundreds in the country’s notoriously brutal jails, while key opposition figures were imprisoned or forced into exile. —Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 30 May 2026

Shirilla, who is currently imprisoned in the Ohio Reformatory for Women, will be eligible for parole in 2037. —Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026

County leaders vowed to legally oppose the facility, pointing to county zoning laws that do not allow for detention centers or any type of facility that holds or imprisons people on county land. —Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 28 May 2026

Mother senses that her children are imprisoned in an underground area and asks that they be set free. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

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