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Just as English is full of nouns referring to places where prisoners are confined, from the familiar (jail and prison) to the obscure (calaboose and bridewell), so we have multiple verbs for the action of putting people behind bars. Some words can be used as both nouns and verbs, if in slightly different forms: one can be jailed in a jail, imprisoned in a prison, locked up in a lockup, or even jugged in a jug. Incarcerate does not have such a noun equivalent in English—incarceration refers to the state of confinement rather than a physical structure—but it comes ultimately from the Latin noun carcer, meaning “prison.” Incarcerate is also on the formal end of the spectrum when it comes to words related to the law and criminal justice, meaning you are more likely to read or hear about someone incarcerated in a penitentiary or detention center than in the pokey or hoosegow.
Examples of incarcerate in a Sentence
Jack Smart, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Maldonado is currently incarcerated at Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Tex.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Kiss of the Spider Woman sees Luna, 45, take on the role of a political prisoner during Argentina's civil war in the 1980s, incarcerated alongside another man portrayed by Tonatiuh.
—Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Lopez appears as the movie star Ingrid Luna while actor Diego Luna portrays a political prisoner during Argentina's civil war in the 1980s, incarcerated alongside another man played by Tonatiuh.
—Catherine Santino, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incarcerate
Cite this Entry
“Incarcerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarcerate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incarcerate
verb
Legal Definition
incarcerate
transitive verb
Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison
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