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
Despite participation, many youth continue to experience homelessness, incarceration, and mental health challenges.
—First Place For Youth, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Recent years saw efforts to reduce reliance on cash bail and promote alternatives to incarceration.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Punishments for disobeying contempt orders can range from fines to jail time, though incarceration is a rare and extreme recourse.
—Henry Gass, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2025
Brown, 51, soon will be relocating from that home to federal prison after being sentenced in Fort Pierce federal court to 50 months of incarceration and two years of supervised release.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
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First Place For Youth, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Recent years saw efforts to reduce reliance on cash bail and promote alternatives to incarceration.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025
Punishments for disobeying contempt orders can range from fines to jail time, though incarceration is a rare and extreme recourse.
—Henry Gass, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2025
Brown, 51, soon will be relocating from that home to federal prison after being sentenced in Fort Pierce federal court to 50 months of incarceration and two years of supervised release.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
Cite this Entry
“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarceration. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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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