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

Stacy Keach, an American stage actor who became best known for playing scruffy private eye Mike Hammer on TV and whose career was nearly derailed after he was imprisoned in 1984 for trying to smuggle cocaine into Britain, died Tuesday. — Mark Kennedy The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026

The ghostly glimpse of an alternate future for the Cratchit family, imprisoned and desolate, feels truer to Dickens than the glib sentimentality of Tiny Tim’s empty place at the family hearth. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2026

He was shot dead by nationalist forces after being imprisoned at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 12 Nov. 2026

Our children and men are over-policed and over-imprisoned, often asked to leave their ways of knowing at school. — Liam Freeman, Vogue, 11 Nov. 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