imprison

verb

im·​pris·​on im-ˈpri-zᵊn 

imprisoned; imprisoning; imprisons

transitive verb

: to put in or as if in prison : confine

imprisonment

im-ˈpri-zᵊn-mənt 

noun

Synonyms of imprison

• jail
• incarcerate

Examples of imprison in a Sentence

He was imprisoned for murder.

He has threatened to imprison his political opponents.

Recent Examples on the Web

Binoche acknowledged the latest actions against Panahi, but also recalled the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, where the Iranian filmmaker was set to serve as a jury member but couldn’t attend as he was being imprisoned in Tehran. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 6 Dec. 2025

Can he actually be investigated, charged, even imprisoned? —Wendy Naugle, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025

According to the human rights group Foro Penal, more than 800 people remain imprisoned for political reasons, and over 18,000 have been detained arbitrarily since 2014. —Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025

Back home, every day carried the threat of the unknown—whether the government would imprison him, persecute him, or force him to escape overnight. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French emprisoner, from en- + prison prison

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for imprison

• arisen
• kisan
• mizzen
• nisan
• prison
• risen

Kids Definition

imprison

verb

im·​pris·​on im-ˈpriz-ᵊn 

imprisoned; imprisoning

-ˈpriz-(ə-)niŋ

: to put in or as if in prison

imprisonment

-ˈpriz-ən-mənt 

noun

Legal Definition

imprison

transitive verb

im·​pris·​on

: to confine in prison especially as punishment for a crime compare false imprisonment

imprisonment noun