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
Robin SteinbergTo 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
George TakeiSynonyms
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
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 
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.
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
Articles Related to incarceration
Dictionary Entries Near incarceration
Cite this Entry
“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarceration. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share