imprison
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of imprison
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English enprisonen, from Old French enprisoner, equivalent to en- en- 1 + prison prison + -er infinitive suffix
Explanation
To imprison is to hold someone in a prison or jail. It can also mean to confine them elsewhere. You might imprison a classmate in a locker, for example. Cops imprison suspects who can't make bail, and someone could be imprisoned for a long time if convicted of a serious crime. Government agencies like the CIA and FBI also imprison people. However, you don't need a prison to imprison someone: a kidnapper holding people captive in the basement has imprisoned them.
Vocabulary lists containing imprison
Schooled
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"The New Colossus"
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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Imprison a Galileo for his discoveries in science, and he will experiment with the straw in his cell.
From How to Succeed or, Stepping-Stones to Fame and Fortune by Marden, Orison Swett
I have had trouble enough to Imprison them there with the aid of Destiny; and it is not without difficulty, I assure you, that I keep some little order among those undisciplined characters….
From The Blue Bird: a Fairy Play in Six Acts by Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander
Imprison her—you say this seriously, Itchoua?—And where imprison her, if you please?
From Ramuntcho by Loti, Pierre
And she called out to her men, saying, "Imprison him in the house of the idol; haply it will soften his heart."
From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
Imprison the importers, and the slaves are rescued.
From Heathen Slaves and Christian Rulers by Andrew, Elizabeth Wheeler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
