incarceration

noun

in·​car·​cer·​a·​tion (ˌ)in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce incarceration (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But my incarceration now, like my glorious delusion then, cannot quell that yearning for something more. Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025 The mix of short-term detainees and long-haul prisoners makes SeaTac a unique microcosm of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), where courtroom drama and the gritty realities of incarceration meet under one roof. Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025 Eulalia resumes selling sweets outside prison, and Bedoya maintains influence even from incarceration. Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 10 Sep. 2025 August 30 Brothers in the South find their way after incarceration in Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play, first staged in New York in 2007 and now led by André Holland. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for incarceration

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1540, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of incarceration was circa 1540

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Cite this Entry

“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarceration. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

Medical Definition

incarceration

noun
in·​car·​cer·​a·​tion in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce incarceration (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on incarceration

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