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Synonyms

false imprisonment

American  

noun

Law.

  1. the unlawful restraint of a person from exercising the right to freedom of movement.

false imprisonment British  

noun

  1. law the restraint of a person's liberty without lawful authority

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of false imprisonment

First recorded in 1760–70

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.

False imprisonment involves detaining a person against his will, and may be most commonly thought of in a scenario where someone is held in a room or other enclosed space.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 18, 2021

False imprisonment, in certain cases, is remediable by Habeas Corpus.

From Punch - Volume 25 (Jul-Dec 1853) by Various

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.