imprison
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- imprisonable adjective
- imprisoner noun
- imprisonment noun
- reimprison verb (used with object)
- reimprisonment noun
- unimprisonable adjective
- unimprisoned adjective
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.
I patiently explained that neither law clerks nor justices get to imprison people sua sponte.
From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026
Mitsotakis, who notes the fraud began before he came to power in 2019, has vowed to imprison the "thieves" responsible and to reclaim the funds.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
In America, we don’t imprison people for violating rules that were never written.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
Mr Eastaugh says the problem is "significant" but "we are able to identify, track, locate, seize and ultimately prosecute and imprison those that are involved".
From BBC • Mar. 21, 2025
“Pili, in your letter, you said you were with Leanna North. The real Ella St. Clay. Where is she? Where did the Shadow Queen imprison her?”
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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.
