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

Tanimoto, as the last living Block 42 resister, carries a singular piece of that history — a controversy and act of resistance within the walls of confinement that illustrated the dilemma faced by people imprisoned by their own country without accusation of a crime. —Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 19 Feb. 2026

Plenty of senior figures were imprisoned in the times of royal families such as the Tudors and the Stuarts, who ruled between the 15th and 18th centuries, but only on political grounds, Gristwood said. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 Feb. 2026

The hearing is expected to be an official acknowledgment that the four men were wrongly accused, prosecuted and imprisoned. —Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 19 Feb. 2026

Long gone are the days when out-of-favor lords could be imprisoned in the Tower of London or beheaded for treason. —ABC News, 18 Feb. 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