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
Some of its soldiers fought for the Allies even as their relatives were detained in Japanese American internment camps because they were considered a public danger.
—
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
The United States hasn't held that many people outside the criminal justice system since the internment of people of Japanese, German and Italian descent during World War II.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
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
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
See All Example Sentences for internment
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
The United States hasn't held that many people outside the criminal justice system since the internment of people of Japanese, German and Italian descent during World War II.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
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
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
See All Example Sentences for internment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for internment
Noun
-
David and Ariel Cunio, who were among the last Israeli hostages to be freed from Gaza after two years of captivity last October, will travel to Berlin next week for a screening of Tom Shoval’s A Letter To David – The Complete Version.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Under the terms of the Dix-Hill agreement, some 30,000 prisoners were returned from captivity by the fall, but the formal exchange arrangement was soon upended.—
Drew Gilpin Faust,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
And there was a habeas petition, which is a particular kind of lawsuit that allows somebody to challenge the legality of their imprisonment or other deprivations of liberty.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2026
-
That imprisonment lasted about a month, before Tanimoto and the others from his block returned to the rest of the internment camp population.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Tanimoto, as the last living Block 42 resister, carries a singular piece of that history — a controversy and act of resistance within the walls of confinement that illustrated the dilemma faced by people imprisoned by their own country without accusation of a crime.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Welty's death is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit against DCS in which family members allege that DCS prematurely closed three of six anonymous complaints brought against Kinsleigh's mother, Toni McClure, who has since been charged with murder and criminal confinement.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
He was charged with sedition and sent to a federal prison in North Dakota.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
-
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
“Internment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/internment. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
