captivity

noun

kap-ˈti-və-tē How to pronounce captivity (audio)
Definition of captivitynext
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of captivity Conlon wrote a book about another 1983 kidnapping, this one human, a supermarket executive rescued in the woods here after 23 days in IRA captivity and Conlon says Shergar's captors would have found a soft landing in Leitrim. — Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026 Israel robs children of their smallest joys because joy is the seed of hope, and that is how the body learns that captivity is not the natural condition of life. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026 The last thylacine living in captivity died from exposure in 1936 at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, Tasmania — shortly after the Tasmanian government belatedly granted the species protected status. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026 According to the Corps, an estimated 600 Azov brigade servicemen are among the thousands still in Russian captivity. — ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for captivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivity
  1. internment
  2. imprisonment
  3. incarceration
  4. confinement
  5. prison
Noun
  • Even local landmarks can have a part in shameful history, with de Courcy noting that Memorial Auditorium was a staging area for the shipment of Japanese American residents to internment camps for during World War II.
    — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Aliens land in Johannesburg in 1982 seeking refuge, but instead they're crammed into an internment camp called District 9.
    — Grace Dean, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of internment
Noun
  • The award is named after Justice Albie Sachs, a hero of the anti-apartheid movement who survived imprisonment, exile and an assassination attempt in the fight for equality in South Africa.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s top-secret doc is 174 minutes and follows Theranos founder and fraudster Elizabeth Holmes in her final days of freedom and first few weeks of imprisonment.
    — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of imprisonment
Noun
  • Judge Underhill could have added to the 10 years of incarceration that the federal sentencing guidelines recommend but instead departed downward from them and shaved three years off them.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026
  • This mandated that at least 10% of locally generated, unrestricted revenue be allocated to incarceration alternatives, advancing what was called the county’s Care First, Jails Last vision.
    — Jon Regardie, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of incarceration
Noun
  • Brown’s attorney, Ellen Comley, asked that he be sentenced to probation and home confinement.
    — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The first year was to be served in home confinement without electronic monitoring.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of confinement
Noun
  • Ortega had additionally been sentenced, in September 2025, for in-prison possession and manufacture of a deadly weapon, according to the news release.
    — Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Vorcaro is currently in prison, accused of multi-million financial fraud.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of prison

Browse Nearby Words

captivities
captivity
captor
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Cite this Entry

“Captivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captivity. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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