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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
Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 21 Apr. 2026
Stunt Queen follows the life of Dee Farmer, one of the most brilliant legal minds of our time who has spent most of her life incarcerated among men.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
At a news conference Tuesday in the same place where Black was killed, deputies announced that a man who is currently incarcerated in Florida is a person of interest in her death.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026
Fiapoto has previously been incarcerated for weapons charges, after a 2022 gang sweep in San Francisco.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 17 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 23 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incarcerate
verb
Legal Definition
incarcerate
transitive verb
Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison
