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.
Examples of incarcerate in a Sentence
Mennlay Golokeh Aggrey, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Nov. 2025
Family is at her core Patterson and her husband, Lance, adopted their two nephews (whose fathers were incarcerated) and raised them through high school, IndyWeek reported.
—Evan Moore
october 31, Charlotte Observer, 31 Oct. 2025
Research shows that incarcerated trans women face disproportionate levels of harassment and violence.
—Quispe López, Them., 30 Oct. 2025
Kardashian has spearheaded criminal justice reform across the country, including at the White House, and championed the release of several individuals who were incarcerated.
—Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarcerate
Cite this Entry
“Incarcerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarcerate. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incarcerate
verb
Legal Definition
incarcerate
transitive verb
Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison
Share