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

Marset was imprisoned from 2013 to 2018 in Uruguay, but maintains there was never any hard proof of his involvement in the drug trade. — Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

As the court cases have been underway, Weinstein has been imprisoned at Rikers, but has been hospitalized a number of times and has said that his health has been poor. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026

Danbi steals money from the church and ends up imprisoned, separated from her daughter (whom righteous John takes in), and responsible for her partner’s suicide. — Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026

Flávio Bolsonaro’s main target is the judiciary that prosecuted and ultimately imprisoned his father. — Andre Pagliarini, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 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