as in imprisoning
to put in or as if in prison
threatened to jail the punks if they so much as jaywalked
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 jailing
Diversion program 8 years old California’s mental health diversion program was enacted in 2018 under the argument that jailing the mentally ill only makes their condition worse and does not prevent them from committing more crimes upon their release.
—
Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2026
No such rules appear to exist for Saudi Arabia, whose leaders have been accused of arbitrarily arresting, jailing and torturing people who speak out against the government.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 9 Apr. 2026
While First Amendment protections for speech and press freedom have kept the federal government from prosecuting journalists with frequency, there is a long history of jailing journalists on contempt charges for refusing to name their anonymous sources.
—Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
Another investigation was initiated the following year by the commission after Givens was accused of presiding over two criminal cases after she’d been recused, jailing a man in one case and revoking bond from another.
—Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
When Iranians elected a reformist president, Mohammed Khatami, in 1997, Khamenei hamstrung him by jailing cabinet ministers and shuttering friendly newspapers.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Mar. 2026
The lawsuit also alleged that police were jailing people, including those who were homeless, for nonviolent misdemeanors.
—Nicole Santa Cruz, ProPublica, 4 Mar. 2026
Most county-sheriff offices function much the way police departments do—investigating crimes, making arrests, and jailing people.
—James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Orange County’s negotiations with the federal government to increase its reimbursement for jailing federal inmates and immigrant detainees could now last through the end of March.
—Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2026
Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2026
No such rules appear to exist for Saudi Arabia, whose leaders have been accused of arbitrarily arresting, jailing and torturing people who speak out against the government.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 9 Apr. 2026
While First Amendment protections for speech and press freedom have kept the federal government from prosecuting journalists with frequency, there is a long history of jailing journalists on contempt charges for refusing to name their anonymous sources.
—Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
Another investigation was initiated the following year by the commission after Givens was accused of presiding over two criminal cases after she’d been recused, jailing a man in one case and revoking bond from another.
—Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
When Iranians elected a reformist president, Mohammed Khatami, in 1997, Khamenei hamstrung him by jailing cabinet ministers and shuttering friendly newspapers.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Mar. 2026
The lawsuit also alleged that police were jailing people, including those who were homeless, for nonviolent misdemeanors.
—Nicole Santa Cruz, ProPublica, 4 Mar. 2026
Most county-sheriff offices function much the way police departments do—investigating crimes, making arrests, and jailing people.
—James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
Orange County’s negotiations with the federal government to increase its reimbursement for jailing federal inmates and immigrant detainees could now last through the end of March.
—Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jailing
Verb
-
Meanwhile, the Iranian regime’s very recent and brutal crackdown on its own people — imprisoning and killing thousands of citizens for dissent — has not been met with the same outrage by these voices.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Noem seemed to relish cruelty, and treated her job like a costume party, constantly mugging for cameras with guns and faux toughness as if the dismantling of lives and imprisoning even children was a game.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Officials reinforced stay-at-home orders by erecting fences around some apartment buildings, essentially incarcerating occupants.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
-
In 1942, as the government was forcibly relocating and incarcerating Japanese Americans on the West Coast, a nativist group hoped to revoke the citizenship of Japanese Americans born in the United States.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Those formative years interning at the DA’s office sent her on a journey into Big Law, then multimillion-dollar legal entrepreneurship.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Arellano joined the brand after interning and working his way into a full-time role, learning production before moving into design.—
J.M. Banks
March 21,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jailing. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
