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

Elizabeth’s mother Kerrie Struhs was imprisoned in 2019 for child neglect after Elizabeth's undiagnosed diabetes left her close to death. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

Last year’s prize went to journalists Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaghlobeli, who were imprisoned in Belarus and Georgia, respectively. — Lorne Cook, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Hubbard was imprisoned in Russia for more than four years after being accused of fighting for Ukraine. — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Many governments are doing this through surveillance, monitoring social media, doxxing, creating AI deepfakes and even forcibly repatriating critics in exile and imprisoning them. — Mary Lind, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 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