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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Recent Examples of captivity
The only way a resident can lawfully own a deer is through a wildlife captivity license issued by NCWRC, which is only authorized for those using the animals for scientific, educational, or exhibition purposes.
—
Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
Kim, who was the heir to rule North Korea at the time, was a big fan of Godzilla, and Pulgasari was the fourth and final movie Shin made before escaping eight years of captivity.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Ongoing troubles amongst wolves, ranchers and their cattle in Cochise County this summer resulted in the relocation of a pack from southern Arizona to captivity in New Mexico.
—Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 28 Nov. 2025
The young lion was being used as a classroom demonstration for modern cases until Elphaba (with some help from Fiyero) freed him from captivity.
—Haley Kluge, Variety, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captivity
Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
Kim, who was the heir to rule North Korea at the time, was a big fan of Godzilla, and Pulgasari was the fourth and final movie Shin made before escaping eight years of captivity.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Ongoing troubles amongst wolves, ranchers and their cattle in Cochise County this summer resulted in the relocation of a pack from southern Arizona to captivity in New Mexico.
—Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 28 Nov. 2025
The young lion was being used as a classroom demonstration for modern cases until Elphaba (with some help from Fiyero) freed him from captivity.
—Haley Kluge, Variety, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivity
Noun
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Through a mix of fiction and nonfiction, Questions 27 & 28 introduces us to three generations of characters who were all impacted by FDR’s internment, a novelistic investigation of a shameful American chapter.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
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In wartime Los Angeles, with Pearl Harbor still fresh in people's minds, and 120,000 Japanese Americans banished to internment camps, paranoia ran deep.—
David Alvarado,
Time,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Violating the law − for both the largecarnivore and wolf-dog cross acts − are misdemeanors and punishable by monetary fines and imprisonment, for instance.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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Instead, after being caught at sea, refugees are taken back to Libya where, between 2017 and 2022, more than 100,000 men, women and children have been locked up, essentially for being there illegally — albeit without any official charges or trials to contest their imprisonment.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Trump has also repeatedly lashed out over the state’s incarceration of Tina Peters, the former county clerk convicted of state felonies related to her attempts to prove discredited election conspiracies shared by the president.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
9 Jan. 2026
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Boardman imposed a sentence of 97 months, citing Roske’s mental health and concerns about incarceration conditions and his status as a first-time criminal offender.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Because confinement of the plasma in a stellarator is driven solely by the external magnets, modifying the shape and strength of the fields has a major impact on performance.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Jan. 2026
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DaSilva was determined to be the primary trafficker and sentenced to a year of home confinement, and a fine of $10,000.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Department of Justice said Steven Anthony Cowles, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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The two counts of second-degree assault could carry up to seven years in prison each, if convicted.—
PJ Green
January 7,
Kansas City Star,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captivity. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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