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
At the same time, Connecticut continues to pursue criminal justice reforms aimed at reducing incarceration and expanding diversionary opportunities for offenders.
—Keith Wortz, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
His latest effort, SB 356, would bring the threshold for the elderly parole program back up to 60 years of age, following 25 years of consecutive incarceration.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 12 Mar. 2026
But Kenna is desperate to meet their 5-year-old daughter, Diem (Zoe Kosovic), who was born months into her incarceration.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Ethnic Uyghurs, a Muslim minority group, have been the target of a long-term campaign of detention, and later incarceration by China.
—ABC News, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
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Keith Wortz, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
His latest effort, SB 356, would bring the threshold for the elderly parole program back up to 60 years of age, following 25 years of consecutive incarceration.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 12 Mar. 2026
But Kenna is desperate to meet their 5-year-old daughter, Diem (Zoe Kosovic), who was born months into her incarceration.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Ethnic Uyghurs, a Muslim minority group, have been the target of a long-term campaign of detention, and later incarceration by China.
—ABC News, 11 Mar. 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 16 Mar. 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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