internment

noun

in-ˈtərn-mənt How to pronounce internment (audio)
Definition of internmentnext
as in captivity
the act of confining or the state of being confined the internment of Americans of Japanese descent during World War II is one of the more shameful chapters in United States history

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 internment 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 But the vastly different conditions under which these objects were produced—at an internment camp and a Pennsylvania estate—expose the striated reality behind that iconography. — Cat Dawson, ARTnews.com, 3 July 2026 During the special, Klepper travels to a peaceful nude bike rally against ICE internment camps holding people without due process. — Michael Schneider, Variety, 15 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for internment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for internment
  1. captivity
  2. incarceration
  3. imprisonment
  4. confinement
  5. prison
Noun
  • 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, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of captivity
Noun
  • That, and the at-arm’s-length care of the staff (who are sometimes comedically cold), makes existence within the ward feel like a close cousin to incarceration.
    — Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026
  • For generations, the women sustain a world of warmth and care amid what Fleetwood calls a family curse, as the men’s lives are beset by mass incarceration and rampant gun violence.
    — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of incarceration
Noun
  • Indecent exposure to a minor under the age of 15 is also a Class 6 felony, resulting in a Class 6 felony as well, which is a far more serious crime resulting in imprisonment in state or federal prison.
    — Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • During her imprisonment, Stötzer refused to leave the GDR for West Germany under the Häftlingsfreikauf program, which offered ransoms for political prisoners.
    — Elisa R. Linn, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of imprisonment
Noun
  • The sheriff's office's drone was used to assist in checking the approximately 28-acre property and helped identify old kennel and animal-confinement areas.
    — River Valley Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Creativity actually lives most powerfully when there is some confinement, some restriction.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of confinement
Noun
  • Lee Cheuk-yan was sentenced to seven years in prison, while Chow Hang-tung was sentenced to seven years and three months.
    — Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 11 Sep. 2026
  • It wasn't immediately known how many people were in the prison at the time of the strikes, which also left seven people injured.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of prison

Browse Nearby Words

internists
internment
internments
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Internment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/internment. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shofar

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All