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
Robin SteinbergTo 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
George TakeiExamples 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
His sentence includes 15 years of supervised probation following incarceration.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
After Villegas’ arrest last week, Tolchin filed a habeas petition in federal court, challenging his incarceration and demanding his immediate release.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Bustamante Leiva was charged along with a second suspect, Cristian Montecino-Sananza, who was sentenced in March to 13 months of incarceration for his role in one of the other thefts.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Merl Hefferman, a former Fresno Hells Angels president, pleaded guilty to assisting in Silva’s cremation and was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison, but has avoided incarceration since his 2023 guilty plea due to serious medical issues, court records show.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
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Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
After Villegas’ arrest last week, Tolchin filed a habeas petition in federal court, challenging his incarceration and demanding his immediate release.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Bustamante Leiva was charged along with a second suspect, Cristian Montecino-Sananza, who was sentenced in March to 13 months of incarceration for his role in one of the other thefts.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Merl Hefferman, a former Fresno Hells Angels president, pleaded guilty to assisting in Silva’s cremation and was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison, but has avoided incarceration since his 2023 guilty plea due to serious medical issues, court records show.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
Cite this Entry
“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarceration. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical 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
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