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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
Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
For women incarcerated at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center, that balance often feels abstract.
—Stephen Martin, Oklahoma Watch, 13 Jan. 2026
Attendees also asked questions about the potential reopening of the county’s juvenile detention center, access to health care for people incarcerated in the county detention center and working with other, often more conservative sheriffs in North Carolina.
—Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 13 Jan. 2026
The ultimate result would be a safer environment for the incarcerated, most of whom will return to society.
—Mary Buser, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 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 20 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incarcerate
verb
Legal Definition
incarcerate
transitive verb
Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison
