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

Judge Underhill could have added to the 10 years of incarceration that the federal sentencing guidelines recommend but instead departed downward from them and shaved three years off them. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026

This mandated that at least 10% of locally generated, unrestricted revenue be allocated to incarceration alternatives, advancing what was called the county’s Care First, Jails Last vision. — Jon Regardie, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Carter will need therapy to deal with his extended incarceration, Hamilton said. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

This hotel marks its return to Sydney, from its previous incarceration on Woolloomooloo’s Finger Wharf. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 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