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

Mohammadi had been imprisoned since December in Zanjan prison. —Sarah El Deeb, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026

She had been imprisoned for more than a year on charges of treason stemming from a $52 donation to a charity aiding Ukraine. —Christopher Cann, USA Today, 10 May 2026

Skuce will be imprisoned without the possibility of parole in the Alabama Department of Corrections. —Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026

He was never charged with a crime, held instead under administrative detention orders, which allow the Israeli military to imprison Palestinians without trial for up to six months at a time. —Jeremy Diamond, CNN Money, 9 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