as in internment
the act of confining or the state of being confined
the wildlife refuge raises endangered species in captivity and then releases them into the wild
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of captivity
That is consistent with a 2019 law that banned whale and dolphin captivity, though Marineland's animals were grandfathered in.
—
CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Gvili was joined by hundreds of Israelis including captivity survivors, families of hostages, and volunteers of the Hostages Families Forum who gathered in silence to watch the clock stop its counting.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
That perception was reinforced by what Americans knew about captivity overseas.
—Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 27 Jan. 2026
Wolf depredation in Cochise County last summer resulted in the relocation of a pack from southern Arizona to captivity in New Mexico.
—Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for captivity
CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Gvili was joined by hundreds of Israelis including captivity survivors, families of hostages, and volunteers of the Hostages Families Forum who gathered in silence to watch the clock stop its counting.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
That perception was reinforced by what Americans knew about captivity overseas.
—Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 27 Jan. 2026
Wolf depredation in Cochise County last summer resulted in the relocation of a pack from southern Arizona to captivity in New Mexico.
—Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for captivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivity
Noun
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Lillian Greenhut's late husband, Kurt Greenhut, was a child Holocaust survivor who endured internment in a concentration camp.—
Charlie Lapastora,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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People living in Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona were forced to leave their homes and property and were sent to 10 internment camps in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado.—
Jessica Alvarado Gamez,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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He is charged with grand larceny, kidnapping, unauthorized use of a vehicle and unlawful imprisonment, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
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Bukele brought murder rates in El Salvador to historic lows through a gargantuan imprisonment campaign and police crackdown, but faces numerous allegations of human rights violations, especially regarding his notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).—
Djenane Villanueva,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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His lawyers also stressed the difficult conditions behind bars for Stanley since his incarceration for this crime.—
Mike Hellgren,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
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But in the invisibly sculpting hands of Swiss director Petra Volpe and the exquisite performances of two first-rate actors, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Rob Morgan, Frank & Louis is an uncommonly tender incarceration drama.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Detainers are federal requests to local law enforcement to detain individuals for up to 48 hours after they're set to be released from criminal confinement — which gives ICE time to decide whether to take them into custody to begin deportation proceedings.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
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As a result of the parents' confinement, the family dog also only goes outside in a limited capacity.—
Alicia Victoria Lozano,
NBC news,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Given his age, the prison term still could keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Hong Kong — Former Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, ending a years-long legal battle that has come to define Beijing’s transformational crackdown on the once-freewheeling financial hub.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captivity. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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