imprison

im·pris·on | \ im-ˈpri-zᵊn

How to pronounce imprison (audio)

\

imprisoned; imprisoning; imprisons

Definition of imprison

transitive verb

: to put in or as if in prison : confine

Other Words from imprison Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about imprison

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Examples of imprison in a Sentence

He was imprisoned for murder. He has threatened to imprison his political opponents.

Recent Examples on the Web Separately, a team from Harvard, Brown and the U.S. Census Bureau found that children in Frog Hollow were four times more likely to be imprisoned on April 1, 2010, than those over the West Hartford line. — Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, ProPublica, "Separated by Design: Why Affordable Housing Is Built in Areas With High Crime, Few Jobs and Struggling Schools," 25 Nov. 2019 Earlier this year, during a dispute with Twitter, government officials had leaked to the press their threats to imprison its executives if the platform didn’t follow official content removal instructions. — Kuwar Singh, Quartz India, "Social media censorship in India has increased over five fold since 2016," 21 Nov. 2019 At least five Americans are believed to have been imprisoned on accusations of espionage that their families and colleagues consider baseless. — Carol Morello, Washington Post, "Trump administration imposes sanctions on top aides to Iranian leader Khamenei," 4 Nov. 2019 At least five Americans are believed to have been imprisoned on accusations of espionage that their families and colleagues consider baseless. — Carol Morello, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump administration sanctions top aides to Iranian leader Khamenei," 4 Nov. 2019 However, in May, Iran sentenced former U.S. Navy cook Michael R. White from Imperial Beach, California, to 10 years in prison in Iran, becoming the first American known to be imprisoned there since Trump took office. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Iran sends US list of names for its proposed prisoner swap," 21 Oct. 2019 They were charged under a 2017 law called the Anti-Hate Law for Tolerance and Peaceful Coexistence, which allows the government to imprison a person for up to twenty years if he is accused of instigating hate. — Camila Osorio, The New Yorker, "Reviving Venezuelan Punk, the Music of Revolution," 20 Oct. 2019 The same day, federal agents also were present at Bluff City, one of a network of businesses that operate out of a Bartlett industrial park owned in part by Vondra and John Harris, former chief of staff to imprisoned ex-Gov. — Dan Petrella, chicagotribune.com, "Sen. Martin Sandoval’s daughter took in more than $52,000 during failed County Board bid from people and companies later named in federal corruption probe," 18 Oct. 2019 France, Germany and Spain crafted legal mechanisms that allowed anyone involved in planning an attack to be imprisoned. — The Economist, "Confessions of an Islamic State fighter," 16 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'imprison.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Learn More about imprison

Dictionary Entries near imprison

imprinted stamp

Statistics for imprison

Last Updated

2 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Imprison.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imprisonment. Accessed 6 December 2019.

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More Definitions for imprison

imprison

verb

English Language Learners Definition of imprison

: to put (someone) in prison

See the full definition for imprison in the English Language Learners Dictionary

imprison

im·pris·on | \ im-ˈpri-zᵊn

\

imprisoned; imprisoning

Kids Definition of imprison

: to put in prison

imprison

transitive verb

im·pris·on

Legal Definition of imprison

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

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