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

The government controls education and public media; independent journalists and bloggers who have criticized the government have been imprisoned. —Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025

If sentences can be broken, literally and metaphorically, by the imprisoned themselves then the state’s jurisdiction, a favored term of legal power play, has been breached. —Amir Hussain june 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025

Abbas has imprisoned or banished any possible rivals for power. —Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025

They were all imprisoned without charge at a notorious maximum security facility near the capital of San Salvador. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 6 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