1
as in captivity
the act of confining or the state of being confined
the offense is punishable by a fine or imprisonment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in incarceration
the state of being held in lawful custody
the long years of imprisonment had taken their toll on his mind and spirit as well as his body
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of imprisonment
Glenn Middleton is facing a maximum of 20 years in prison, plus a minimum of five years imprisonment consecutive if found guilty of other charges.
—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Those causes carried timeless moral weight that outlasted Gandhi’s assassination and Mandela’s nearly three decades of imprisonment.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
24 June 2026
Insulting a person on the basis of race carries a penalty of imprisonment from 2 to 5 years and a fine.
—
ABC News,
24 June 2026
That sense of spiritual imprisonment may have another explanation.
—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
17 June 2026
The coup ended with the slaughter or imprisonment of most of its participants.
—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Thomas Little’s life story was once one of triumphant persistence only to be replaced by the too-common tale of a spiral into imprisonment and deadly gun violence.
—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
In the weeks leading up to his imprisonment, Abu Safiya fought to maintain his composure as Israeli forces surrounded the hospital, releasing grainy video dispatches from the facility under siege.
—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
During the earlier dictatorship, Kim survived imprisonment and at least one attempt to kill him.
—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
25 June 2026
Those causes carried timeless moral weight that outlasted Gandhi’s assassination and Mandela’s nearly three decades of imprisonment.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
24 June 2026
Insulting a person on the basis of race carries a penalty of imprisonment from 2 to 5 years and a fine.
—
ABC News,
24 June 2026
That sense of spiritual imprisonment may have another explanation.
—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
17 June 2026
The coup ended with the slaughter or imprisonment of most of its participants.
—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Thomas Little’s life story was once one of triumphant persistence only to be replaced by the too-common tale of a spiral into imprisonment and deadly gun violence.
—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
In the weeks leading up to his imprisonment, Abu Safiya fought to maintain his composure as Israeli forces surrounded the hospital, releasing grainy video dispatches from the facility under siege.
—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
During the earlier dictatorship, Kim survived imprisonment and at least one attempt to kill him.
—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imprisonment
Noun
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When the Spanish settlers decamped for Cuba in 1763 after ceding Florida to the English, the few surviving Tequesta, their numbers decimated by 200 years of captivity and slavery, conflict and ill treatment, are believed to have departed with them.
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Today, 160 servicemembers were released from captivity.
Noun
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In the movie Invictus, Nelson Mandela refers to the poem by the same name as something that sustained him during his 27 years of incarceration.
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Layne’s group has pushed county leaders to fund a continuous drug addiction treatment program, expanding access for those who need it both during and after incarceration.
Noun
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During the special, Klepper travels to a peaceful nude bike rally against ICE internment camps holding people without due process.
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In California, language related to the internment of Japanese Americans at the Manzanar National Historic Site, as well as the history of Indigenous people in Death Valley and Muir Woods came under scrutiny.
Noun
-
Noncitizens have testified about similar conditions at supposedly temporary ICE detention facilities around the country.
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The administration pivoted last year to new detention tactics and has made fewer courthouse arrests than earlier this year, according to legal experts.
Noun
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The pair, who were detained in March, had already spent four months in prison prior to the punishment, which ultimately reduced their sentence from 25 lashes to 21, the AP said.
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Taylor, 30, now faces a potential sentence of life in prison.
Noun
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In May, they were convicted of first-degree murder, as well as additional charges of confinement, assault with a weapon and failing to provide the necessaries of life.
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Prosecutors in the case argued the one-year sentence is not enough, saying he should have been committed to state prison and received a longer period of confinement.
Cite this Entry
“Imprisonment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imprisonment. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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