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
Lillian Greenhut's late husband, Kurt Greenhut, was a child Holocaust survivor who endured internment in a concentration camp.
—Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
People living in Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona were forced to leave their homes and property and were sent to 10 internment camps in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado.
—Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2026
Some of its soldiers fought for the Allies even as their relatives were detained in Japanese American internment camps because they were considered a public danger.
—Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
The United States hasn't held that many people outside the criminal justice system since the internment of people of Japanese, German and Italian descent during World War II.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
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Charlie Lapastora, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
People living in Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona were forced to leave their homes and property and were sent to 10 internment camps in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado.
—Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2026
Some of its soldiers fought for the Allies even as their relatives were detained in Japanese American internment camps because they were considered a public danger.
—Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
The United States hasn't held that many people outside the criminal justice system since the internment of people of Japanese, German and Italian descent during World War II.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for internment
Cite this Entry
“Internment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/internment. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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