as in to jail
to put in or as if in prison
in this society, we try to imprison criminals so that they can't do any more harm
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 imprison
In Connecticut, two men imprisoned for murder as teenagers won a $42 million judgement after the state Supreme Court concluded in 2019 that they were wrongly convicted on the basis of false testimony by Lee.
—
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
She’s taken, perversely, with John the Baptist, imprisoned in a cistern and prophesying doom for the decadent, Godless heathens, Salome in particular.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
But first McCarty needed a sense of how many women were imprisoned at Mabel Bassett for crimes tied to their own abuse — a phenomenon that sentencing-reform advocates call criminalized survivorship.
—Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
Not be currently imprisoned after being convicted of a crime.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for imprison
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
She’s taken, perversely, with John the Baptist, imprisoned in a cistern and prophesying doom for the decadent, Godless heathens, Salome in particular.
—Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
But first McCarty needed a sense of how many women were imprisoned at Mabel Bassett for crimes tied to their own abuse — a phenomenon that sentencing-reform advocates call criminalized survivorship.
—Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
Not be currently imprisoned after being convicted of a crime.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for imprison
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imprison
Verb
-
Kendra was briefly jailed before being released on bond.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Ronald Demeo, 63, was jailed last week after a woman reported that she was assaulted while under sedation at his clinic, located at 2801 SW Third Ave.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Alexander is currently incarcerated on $750,000 bail.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Officials reinforced stay-at-home orders by erecting fences around some apartment buildings, essentially incarcerating occupants.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imprison.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imprison. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
