incarceration

noun

in·​car·​cer·​a·​tion (ˌ)in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən 

plural incarcerations

: confinement in a jail or prison : the act of imprisoning someone or the state of being imprisoned

Despite the drop in crime in past decades, rates of arrest and incarceration in New York City have not gone down.

—Robin Steinberg

To this day, the Supreme Court has not overruled its infamous Korematsu opinion of 1944, which validated our mass incarceration in deference to national security.

—George Takei

Synonyms of incarceration

• captivity
• internment
• imprisonment
• prison
• confinement

Examples of incarceration in a Sentence

he was bored and frustrated by his incarceration in the quarantine

sentenced to six months of incarceration for dealing in narcotics

Recent Examples on the Web

Thousands gathered at the Sacramento Buddhist Church’s 80th annual Japanese Food and Cultural Bazaar, an event started in 1947 as the community rebuilt following the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. — Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Gamiño was one of the people who stood outside the prison walls to welcome her out of incarceration. — Katie Mather, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026

Part of the Measure J mandate passed by voters in 2020 is to reduce incarcerations by adding more interdictions by substance abuse and mental health counselors, when there’s no weapon involved or violent threat. — Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 11 Aug. 2026

Over the course of their incarceration, people detained there will never share a visiting room with their families and children, or even sit across from them behind a plexiglass barrier. — Jillian Turanovic, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1540, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for incarceration

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Medical Definition

incarceration

noun

in·​car·​cer·​a·​tion in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: a confining or state of being confined

2

: abnormal retention or confinement of a body part

specifically : a constriction of the neck of a hernial sac so that the hernial contents become irreducible