incarceration

noun

(ˌ)in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce incarceration (audio)
Definition of incarcerationnext
1
as in captivity
the act of confining or the state of being confined he was bored and frustrated by his incarceration in the quarantine

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2
as in imprisonment
the state of being held in lawful custody sentenced to six months of incarceration for dealing in narcotics

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 incarceration Gamiño was one of the people who stood outside the prison walls to welcome her out of incarceration. — Katie Mather, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 Part of the Measure J mandate passed by voters in 2020 is to reduce incarcerations by adding more interdictions by substance abuse and mental health counselors, when there’s no weapon involved or violent threat. — Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 11 Aug. 2026 Over the course of their incarceration, people detained there will never share a visiting room with their families and children, or even sit across from them behind a plexiglass barrier. — Jillian Turanovic, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for incarceration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incarceration
  1. captivity
  2. imprisonment
  3. internment
  4. detention
  5. prison
  6. confinement
Noun
  • As Koschei the Deathless stirs from millennia-long captivity, powerful allies close in to reclaim the human lands.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • For the project, focused on ending the captivity of dolphins and whales in marine parks, Panettiere was photographed in a tiny bathtub.
    — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of captivity
Noun
  • Violations of these laws may result in criminal fines and imprisonment.
    — Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The sentences are to run concurrently for a total of 10 years imprisonment.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of imprisonment
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
  • Rights groups have raised concerns about the treatment of migrants and asylum seekers in Tunisia since the EU agreement, including reports of collective expulsions, racial violence, arbitrary detention and abuses against Black migrants.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Munsell was given 10 years for second-degree drug trafficking, five years for aggravated fleeing a stop or detention and five years for tampering with a motor vehicle, according to court records.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of detention
Noun
  • In a rare judicial win in such cases, the client was handed 18 months in prison.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • During the week, Aikman continues his training through the Canine Companions prison puppy raising program at FMC Carswell in Fort Worth.
    — Nelly Carreño, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of prison
Noun
  • She was released in December 2025 and has spent another eight months under house arrest or in halfway-house confinement.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
  • In 1842, the appellate court reduced the offense from a premeditated breach of duty to a negligent one, acquitted Ebel of founding a sect, and quashed his confinement.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of confinement

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Cite this Entry

“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incarceration. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on incarceration

Nglish: Translation of incarceration for Spanish Speakers

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