1 incarcerate | Definition of incarcerate
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incarcerate

verb
in·​car·​cer·​ate | \ in-ˈkĂ€r-sə-ˌrāt How to pronounce incarcerate (audio) \
incarcerated; incarcerating

Definition of incarcerate

transitive verb

1 : to put in prison
2 : to subject to confinement
Other Words from incarcerate Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about incarcerate

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Synonyms & Antonyms for incarcerate

Synonyms

commit, confine, immure, imprison, intern, jail, jug, lock (up)

Antonyms

discharge, free, liberate, release

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Did You Know?

A criminal sentenced to incarceration may wish his or her debt to society could be canceled, but such a wistful felon might be surprised to learn that incarcerate and cancel are related. Incarcerate comes from incarcerare, a Latin verb meaning "to imprison." That Latin root comes from carcer, Latin for prison. Etymologists think that cancel probably got its start when the spelling of carcer was modified to cancer, which means "lattice" in Latin-an early meaning of cancel in English was "to mark (a passage) for deletion with lines crossed like a lattice." Aside from its literal meaning, incarcerate can also have a figurative application meaning "to subject to confinement," as in "people who are incarcerated in their obsessions."

Examples of incarcerate in a Sentence

the state incarcerated over 1900 people last year

Recent Examples on the Web

 High rates of addicted and mentally ill people behind bars are believed to contribute to the problem, as well as possible poor treatment of inmates and the stress of being incarcerated. — Anchorage Daily News, "What’s known and what’s next after Jeffrey Epstein’s death," 11 Aug. 2019 High rates of addicted and mentally ill people behind bars are believed to contribute to the problem, as well as possible poor treatment of inmates and the stress of being incarcerated. — al, "What’s known and what’s next after Jeffrey Epstein’s death," 11 Aug. 2019 High rates of addicted and mentally ill people behind bars are believed to contribute to the problem, as well as possible poor treatment of inmates and the stress of being incarcerated. — Morgan Krakow, Washington Post, "‘We need answers. Lots of them.’: What’s known and what’s next after Jeffrey Epstein’s death," 10 Aug. 2019 The Legislature voted to end the practice of incarcerating women under Section 35 in 2016, but has continued to allow it for men. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "Stop sending men to prison for addiction treatment, group recommends," 9 July 2019 Harris, a long-time prosecutor from California, had to balance a record of incarcerating prisoners with her position that the criminal justice system has produced and contributed to mass incarceration characterized by vast racial disparities. — NBC News, "For Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, integration's painful past becomes the present," 28 June 2019 An Oregon man whose murder conviction was overturned in April walked out of prison Friday after being incarcerated for nearly three decades in the killing of the state’s corrections director. — oregonlive.com, "Frank Gable, convicted in 1989 Oregon corrections chief killing, released from prison: ‘I’m glad to be out’," 28 June 2019 The 52-year-old defendant has been in a wheelchair since being incarcerated after suffering two heart attacks and a stroke, according to the local outlet. — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com, "Man Accused of Killing Girlfriend's Tinder Date Attempts to Slit His Throat During Murder Trial," 25 June 2019 Constantine then moved to have the county treat youth crime as a public-health issue with a goal of not incarcerating youths. — Ryan Blethen, The Seattle Times, "King County reaches deal to ban placing jailed juveniles in solitary confinement," 20 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'incarcerate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of incarcerate

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for incarcerate

Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- + carcer prison

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More Definitions for incarcerate

incarcerate

verb
How to pronounce incarcerate (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of incarcerate

formal : to put (someone) in prison

See the full definition for incarcerate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

incarcerate

transitive verb
in·​car·​cer·​ate | \ in-ˈkĂ€r-sə-ˌrāt How to pronounce incarcerate (audio) \
incarcerated; incarcerating

Legal Definition of incarcerate

: imprison

Other Words from incarcerate

incarceration \ in-​ˌkĂ€r-​sə-​ˈrā-​shən How to pronounce incarceration (audio) \ noun

History and Etymology for incarcerate

Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare, from in- in + carcer prison

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More from Merriam-Webster on incarcerate

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with incarcerate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for incarcerate

Spanish Central: Translation of incarcerate

Nglish: Translation of incarcerate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of incarcerate for Arabic Speakers

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