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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
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
24 June 2026
Beckwith gave birth to their daughter, Bailee Ann, while incarcerated in 2008.
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Liza Esquibias,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
Judges in 53 county courts rely on these volunteers for their insight into the lives of foster children and incarcerated youth.
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Kate Durham,
Mercury News,
23 June 2026
He was convicted and sentenced six years later but was initially incarcerated at home with an ankle monitor pending his appeals.
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Shirsho Dasgupta,
Miami Herald,
22 June 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 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incarcerate
verb
Legal Definition
incarcerate
transitive verb
Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison
