internment
noun
in·tern·ment
in-ˈtərn-mənt 
ˈin-ˌtərn-
plural internments
: the act of interning someone or the state of being interned
His parents had never told him about the exclusion laws, or the internment of Japanese-Americans, and the subject had not come up in his textbooks.—
Timothy Egan
Timothy EganEven in the midst of betrayal and the resulting alienation experienced in the internment, there exists the unnegotiable state of human bonds and possibility for reconciliation.—Fumitaka Matsuoka
Fumitaka Matsuoka… an American who spent World War II with his parents in an internment camp.—Philip Siekman
Philip SiekmanExamples of internment in a Sentence
the internment of Americans of Japanese descent during World War II is one of the more shameful chapters in United States history
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1940, the barracks became an internment camp for Italian suspects, later used as a prisoner of war camp under the German occupation.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
China detained more than 1 million Uyghurs in internment camps from 2017 to 2019 in the name of fighting extremism.
—David Pierson, New York Times, 29 May 2025
In 1917, Woodrow Wilson used the act to curtail the activities and speech of German citizens, leading to the internment of more than 6000 Germans, though they were provided with a hearing.
—Richard Stengel, Time, 23 May 2025
The Trump administration justified the deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, a piece of legislation from 1798 that previously was used as defense for Japanese internment camps during World War II.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
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Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025
China detained more than 1 million Uyghurs in internment camps from 2017 to 2019 in the name of fighting extremism.
—David Pierson, New York Times, 29 May 2025
In 1917, Woodrow Wilson used the act to curtail the activities and speech of German citizens, leading to the internment of more than 6000 Germans, though they were provided with a hearing.
—Richard Stengel, Time, 23 May 2025
The Trump administration justified the deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, a piece of legislation from 1798 that previously was used as defense for Japanese internment camps during World War II.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for internment
Cite this Entry
“Internment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/internment. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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