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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
Jesse Hyde, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
Imperiale was apprehended in 2021 and later deported to Italy, where he is now incarcerated.
—Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
His company, based on West Seventh Street, employs workers — about 60% of them previously incarcerated or in addiction recovery — to plow snow, power-wash trucks and decks, and string Christmas lights, paying them $25 per hour with benefits.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, where a $239 million overhaul is underway, will open its imposing doors on October 23-24 for hundreds of guests for its second annual showcase of currently and formerly incarcerated filmmakers.
—Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 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 23 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incarcerate
verb
Legal Definition
incarcerate
transitive verb
Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison
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