incarceration
noun
in·car·cer·a·tion
(ˌ)in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən 
plural incarcerations
: confinement in a jail or prison : the act of imprisoning someone or the state of being imprisoned
Despite the drop in crime in past decades, rates of arrest and incarceration in New York City have not gone down.—
Robin Steinberg
Robin SteinbergTo this day, the Supreme Court has not overruled its infamous Korematsu opinion of 1944, which validated our mass incarceration in deference to national security.—George Takei
George TakeiExamples of incarceration in a Sentence
he was bored and frustrated by his incarceration in the quarantine
sentenced to six months of incarceration for dealing in narcotics
Recent Examples on the Web
Combs was convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution, which the judge said mandates incarceration.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2025
But the effort — involving mass incarceration, including at a notorious megaprison — has been criticized by rights groups for rounding up huge numbers of innocent people as well.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 1 Aug. 2025
The lack of specialized mental health support or ASD-specific accommodations within most prison systems further isolates these individuals, making incarceration especially traumatic and destabilizing for them.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Haskins analyzes the effects of first-time paternal incarceration, specifically, on children aged nine.
—Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
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Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2025
But the effort — involving mass incarceration, including at a notorious megaprison — has been criticized by rights groups for rounding up huge numbers of innocent people as well.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 1 Aug. 2025
The lack of specialized mental health support or ASD-specific accommodations within most prison systems further isolates these individuals, making incarceration especially traumatic and destabilizing for them.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
Haskins analyzes the effects of first-time paternal incarceration, specifically, on children aged nine.
—Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
Cite this Entry
“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarceration. Accessed 10 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
incarceration
noun
in·car·cer·a·tion
in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən
1
: a confining or state of being confined
2
: abnormal retention or confinement of a body part
specifically
: a constriction of the neck of a hernial sac so that the hernial contents become irreducible
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