incarcerate

verb

in·​car·​cer·​ate in-ˈkär-sə-ˌrāt 

incarcerated; incarcerating

transitive verb

1

: to put in prison

2

: to subject to confinement

Did you know?

Just as English is full of nouns referring to places where prisoners are confined, from the familiar (jail and prison) to the obscure (calaboose and bridewell), so we have multiple verbs for the action of putting people behind bars. Some words can be used as both nouns and verbs, if in slightly different forms: one can be jailed in a jail, imprisoned in a prison, locked up in a lockup, or even jugged in a jug. Incarcerate does not have such a noun equivalent in English—incarceration refers to the state of confinement rather than a physical structure—but it comes ultimately from the Latin noun carcer, meaning “prison.” Incarcerate is also on the formal end of the spectrum when it comes to words related to the law and criminal justice, meaning you are more likely to read or hear about someone incarcerated in a penitentiary or detention center than in the pokey or hoosegow.

Synonyms of incarcerate

• imprison
• jail

Examples of incarcerate in a Sentence

the state incarcerated over 1900 people last year

Recent Examples on the Web

Revisiting the case in December 2024, a Cold Case Unit detective searched the suspects’ profiles against DNA profiles of people incarcerated in Florida prisons to look for possible relatives. —Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 25 Feb. 2026

At the time, he was incarcerated in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, serving a life sentence on a previous conviction for robbery, kidnapping and rape that took place in September 1980 — the month after Parga's killing. —Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 24 Feb. 2026

Harrison brings a wealth of experience in community projects, having worked extensively with children and adolescents, older people, migrant populations, and those incarcerated in the criminal justice system. —News Desk, Artforum, 24 Feb. 2026

Danziger, who was beaten by another inmate while incarcerated and suffered a severe brain injury, was later exonerated through DNA testing. —Tony Plohetski, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- + carcer prison

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for incarcerate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

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Kids Definition

incarcerate

verb

in·​car·​cer·​ate in-ˈkär-sə-ˌrāt 

incarcerated; incarcerating

: to put in prison : confine

incarceration

(ˌ)in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən 

noun

Legal Definition

incarcerate

transitive verb

in·​car·​cer·​ate in-ˈkär-sə-ˌrāt 

incarcerated; incarcerating

: imprison

incarceration

in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən 

noun

Etymology

Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison