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Just as English is full of nouns referring to places where prisoners are confined, from the familiar (jail and prison) to the obscure (calaboose and bridewell), so we have multiple verbs for the action of putting people behind bars. Some words can be used as both nouns and verbs, if in slightly different forms: one can be jailed in a jail, imprisoned in a prison, locked up in a lockup, or even jugged in a jug. Incarcerate does not have such a noun equivalent in English—incarceration refers to the state of confinement rather than a physical structure—but it comes ultimately from the Latin noun carcer, meaning “prison.” Incarcerate is also on the formal end of the spectrum when it comes to words related to the law and criminal justice, meaning you are more likely to read or hear about someone incarcerated in a penitentiary or detention center than in the pokey or hoosegow.
Examples of incarcerate in a Sentence
Hailey Roden, The Enquirer, 15 Aug. 2025
Seven people have died in San Diego County jails this year — the latest an 82-year-old man who other incarcerated men say was ignored for days and allowed to decline in administrative segregation.
—Jaelyn Rodriguez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
The sheriff, according to a federal indictment, became involved with the cannabis company’s Boston business through a 2019 arrangement which would see formerly incarcerated individuals given work at the company’s retail store.
—Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 11 Aug. 2025
An example is the $110 million renovation of the Charlotte Convention Center, where general contractors provided employment opportunities for 28 individuals who were formerly incarcerated and/or faced other barriers to employment.
—Charlotte Observer, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarcerate
Cite this Entry
“Incarcerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarcerate. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incarcerate
verb
Legal Definition
incarcerate
transitive verb
Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison
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