incarceration

noun

in·​car·​cer·​a·​tion (ˌ)in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən 

plural incarcerations

: confinement in a jail or prison : the act of imprisoning someone or the state of being imprisoned

Despite the drop in crime in past decades, rates of arrest and incarceration in New York City have not gone down.

—Robin Steinberg

To this day, the Supreme Court has not overruled its infamous Korematsu opinion of 1944, which validated our mass incarceration in deference to national security.

—George Takei

Synonyms

• captivity
• confinement
• immurement
• impoundment
• imprisonment
• internment
• prison

Examples of incarceration in a Sentence

he was bored and frustrated by his incarceration in the quarantine

sentenced to six months of incarceration for dealing in narcotics

Recent Examples on the Web

He was sentenced to seven days’ incarceration at a DUI education center, two years’ probation, a $350 fine and payment of court fees. —Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025

About 1,070 defendants were sentenced overall, with roughly 650 receiving periods of incarceration. —Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2025

After her two months of incarceration, Hemphill got out and immediately created a place on X Spaces, previously known as Twitter Spaces, for those involved in the Capitol riot. —Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 22 Jan. 2025

Although efforts to reduce mass incarceration have made progress, over 150,000 people remain in federal prisons. —Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1540, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

incarceration

noun

in·​car·​cer·​a·​tion in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: a confining or state of being confined

2

: abnormal retention or confinement of a body part

specifically : a constriction of the neck of a hernial sac so that the hernial contents become irreducible