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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
Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
While incarcerated, that previous operator had more than 460 calls with Solomon in the past year alone, the report said.
—Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 4 Feb. 2026
Allegheny County police said detectives last month learned about plans between 31-year-old Tyreace Platt and 39-year-old Chaz Coles to smuggle synthetic cannabinoids, also known as K2, into the jail, where they were incarcerated.
—Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
The announcement came as the House Rules Committee was considering resolutions to hold the Clintons in criminal contempt, which could have potentially led to the government imposing penalties and incarcerating them.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 3 Feb. 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 6 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incarcerate
verb
Legal Definition
incarcerate
transitive verb
Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison
