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 Their captivity took them from western Siberia to Yekaterinburg. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 July 2026 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. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026 Today, 160 servicemembers were released from captivity. — Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026 At least 80 school children are still in captivity after being abducted by militants in the southern and northern regions of the country. — ABC News, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for captivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivity
  1. internment
  2. imprisonment
  3. incarceration
  4. confinement
  5. prison
Noun
  • While the boys were raised in Hiroshima, their parents and new baby brother were sent to an internment camp in Poston, Arizona, as the fighting continued.
    — Rina Nakano, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Established in 1855 as a military post to fight against the Mescalero Apache, the fort went on to play a minor role in the Civil War and later served as a tuberculosis sanitorium and a World War II internment camp.
    — Allison Savage Bates, Denver Post, 19 July 2026
Definition of internment
Noun
  • Anyone possessing marijuana for personal use can be jailed for a month, while distribution and sales are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment depending on the amount seized.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Authorities say the man was charged with one count of assaulting the crew of an aircraft, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; as well as one count of common assault, which carries a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of imprisonment
Noun
  • The poll, commissioned by the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit working to end mass incarceration, was conducted shortly after ICE agents shot and killed two immigrants during traffic stops in Maine and Texas over the span of six days in July.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026
  • However, just before an August 2025 hearing, the filing states, the families learned Butler would not agree to plead guilty or to incarceration at a juvenile facility after all.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of incarceration
Noun
  • One of China’s most powerful AI models has joined the rush to escape confinement.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Shah was sentenced in 2024 to 7½ years in prison, and Agarwal was sentenced to three years of confinement at a halfway house.
    — Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of confinement
Noun
  • Linares-Rea faces up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count and two years for each identity theft count, prosecutors said.
    — Doug Myers, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Sandford pleaded guilty to federal firearm and disruption charges and was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 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 12 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on captivity

Nglish: Translation of captivity for Spanish Speakers

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