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

Already imprisoned for murdering a woman in Washington state, he was charged in 2008 with the three teenagers’ slayings. — Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Turk claims that Isbilen authorized the payment in hopes that Mountbatten-Windsor might be able to use his connections to help her husband, who has been imprisoned in Turkey since 2015. — ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026

Petrova had been briefly detained by immigration officials and feared being deported to Russia and imprisoned there. — Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Dominic West portrays Doc McGhee, the band’s renowned music manager, while David Kross plays Andrej, the Scorpions’ imprisoned friend on the other side of the Berlin Wall. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Nov. 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