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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.
Examples of incarcerate in a Sentence
Adam Reiss, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026
Adam Roberts is a memoirist and essayist from Long Island who spent twenty-six years incarcerated in New York State.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
But that resentencing happens in Juvenile Court, which has no jurisdiction to incarcerate anyone older than 25.
—Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Yes, Sangha has been incarcerated since August 2024.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incarcerate
Cite this Entry
“Incarcerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarcerate. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incarcerate
verb
Legal Definition
incarcerate
transitive verb
Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison
