imprison

verb

im·​pris·​on im-ˈpri-zᵊn 

imprisoned; imprisoning; imprisons

transitive verb

: to put in or as if in prison : confine

imprisonment

im-ˈpri-zᵊn-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• commit
• confine
• immure
• incarcerate
• intern
• jail
• jug
• lock (up)

Examples of imprison in a Sentence

He was imprisoned for murder.

He has threatened to imprison his political opponents.

Recent Examples on the Web

It was focused on feeding the poor, taking care of the sick and elderly, and feeding those imprisoned in York Castle, and was self-sufficient until the rise of the Reformation movement. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025

More than 200 Venezuelan nationals accused of gang affiliations were transferred to El Salvador, where they were imprisoned in the country's high-security mega-prison. —Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025

Yes, after the events of the very, very old Donkey Kong arcade game, Mario has the ape cruelly imprisoned like the villain from King Kong. —Luke Winkie, Vulture, 18 June 2025

When he was imprisoned for robbery, she was freed to spend time with anyone. —Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 16 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French emprisoner, from en- + prison prison

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for imprison

• arisen
• kisan
• mizzen
• nisan
• prison
• risen

Kids Definition

imprison

verb

im·​pris·​on im-ˈpriz-ᵊn 

imprisoned; imprisoning

-ˈpriz-(ə-)niŋ

: to put in or as if in prison

imprisonment

-ˈpriz-ən-mənt 

noun

Legal Definition

imprison

transitive verb

im·​pris·​on

: to confine in prison especially as punishment for a crime compare false imprisonment

imprisonment noun