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

Union leaders and journalists who criticized Bukele have also been imprisoned. —Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025

He is imprisoned in El Salvador, where he was sent with other migrants accused of being gang members. —Albert Sun, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025

Rodríguez, a member of the San Isidro Movement —whose leader, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, remains imprisoned in Cuba— arrived in the United States in 2022 after being forced into exile. —Maykel Gonzalez, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2025

Both brothers are imprisoned at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. —Kate Nalepinski, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 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