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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
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
Marshall Project staff writer Maurice Chammah was inspired after surfing eBay one day in 2014 and finding a listing for a record featuring music recorded by men incarcerated in Texas back in the '70s.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
Written by Lindsey Ferrentino, it is based on the documentary of the same name about Nick Yarris, a man who was wrongfully incarcerated on death row for 22 years.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Today Rose remains incarcerated at the Union Correctional Institution in Raiford.
—Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 27 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 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incarcerate
verb
Legal Definition
incarcerate
transitive verb
Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison
