incarceration

noun

in·​car·​cer·​a·​tion (ˌ)in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce incarceration (audio)
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

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Breslin ran on a platform focused on reducing violent crime and reducing incarceration for nonviolent offenders with substance abuse and mental health issues. Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 5 Nov. 2024 Finally, Proposition 36 in California would increase penalties for drug possession and low-level theft, repealing parts of a 2014 ballot measure that reclassified these felonies as misdemeanors in an effort to reduce incarceration. Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024 Meanwhile, advocates focused on reducing mass incarceration and addressing racial disparities in the judicial system pushed states to begin decriminalizing marijuana and revising the sentences for people serving time for it. Marin Cogan, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024 Gascón has countered by arguing that Hochman wants to return to mass incarceration and pull back on police reform and accountability. James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for incarceration 

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1540, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of incarceration was circa 1540

Dictionary Entries Near incarceration

Cite this Entry

“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarceration. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

incarceration

noun
in·​car·​cer·​a·​tion in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce incarceration (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on incarceration

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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