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
This most recent spate of films leaves genre theatrics behind and instead uses the power dynamics of captivity as a jumping-off point for other conversations.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2026
Ukrainian officials said 150 Ukrainian servicemen and seven civilians returned from Russian captivity.
—Kamila Hrabchuk, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The rescue came about after Jordan Turpin — who was 17 at the time — escaped from the home and told authorities about their captivity and abuse.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for captivity
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2026
Ukrainian officials said 150 Ukrainian servicemen and seven civilians returned from Russian captivity.
—Kamila Hrabchuk, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
The rescue came about after Jordan Turpin — who was 17 at the time — escaped from the home and told authorities about their captivity and abuse.
—Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for captivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivity
Noun
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The core of this CW series is a romance between a human girl, Emery, and an alien boy called Roman who met a decade earlier when the extraterrestrial visitors first crash-landed on Earth and were rounded up and placed in an internment camp.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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Flags at Indiana's state facilities will remain at half-staff until sunset on the day of Hamilton's internment, according to the release.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
5 Feb. 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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Journalist Vida Rabbani and activist Abdollah Momeni, who were arrested with Mahmoudian in January, were also released after 17 days of incarceration.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
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My approach involves raising wages, protecting affordable housing, and dismantling the workforce barriers that follow people after incarceration.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 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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He was charged with sedition and sent to a federal prison in North Dakota.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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Harrell left the band the following year and was sentenced to two years in prison in 2015.—
Jim Beaugez,
Rolling Stone,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captivity. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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