imprison

1 of 2

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

imprisonment

2 of 2

noun

im·​pris·​on·​ment -zᵊnmənt 

plural -s

1

: the act of imprisoning or the state of being imprisoned : confinement, restraint

2

: constraint of a person either by force or by such other coercion as restrains him within limits against his will

Synonyms of imprison

Verb

• jail
• incarcerate

Examples of imprison in a Sentence

Verb

He was imprisoned for murder.

He has threatened to imprison his political opponents.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was imprisoned in Russia in March 2023 on espionage charges, was released in August 2024 as part of a prisoner swap with the United States. — Scott Nover, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan’s main political rival, has been imprisoned since March of last year and is on trial on corruption charges. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026

The state has charged as much as $347 per day, meaning anyone who was imprisoned for a year in Connecticut racked up a tab of nearly $127,000. — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026

Handal was later arrested in Turkey on a Haitian Interpol Red Notice and spent months imprisoned there. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

Middle English enprisonment, inprisonment, from Middle French emprisonnement, from Old French, from emprisoner + -ment

First Known Use

Verb

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