imprisonment
Americannoun
-
imprisonments
plural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of imprisonment
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Old French emprisonnement, equivalent to imprison ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )
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.
See Examples For:
Hui, 67, was sentenced by a Shenzhen court to life imprisonment and ordered to forfeit all of his personal assets, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
When the Parole Board approved Razzell's release in April, they said in a statement that the "panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public".
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
"They have endured targeting, imprisonment, exile, and surveillance for simply reporting the news. It is an honor to recognize their commitment to documenting the truth."
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
He arranged the private screening to symbolically request Robert De Niro’s blessing to play the dangerously charismatic Max Cady, an ex-con parched for revenge against those who had a hand in his imprisonment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Once people understood what Sister Ignatia had done, there were calls for her imprisonment, but with every moment, the life that had been so extended in both women dwindled, bit by bit.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
He reunited with his wife in the final months of his life, as he suffered from ill-health caused by his imprisonments.
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2024
“It’s disturbing, it’s terrifying, and it’s a major violation of protected speech,” Freedom House’s Nate Schenkkan said of the recent imprisonments of Western-based Saudis.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2022
Even a recent number of arrests and imprisonments for defaming the president do not appear to have dented Mr. Hichilema’s popularity.
From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2022
Ms. Safranova’s conviction and sentencing follow a spate of imprisonments of Witnesses in Russia this month.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 26, 2022
Both of us were spared, in body at least, by the stone walls of our different imprisonments, and altered in spirit, in ways we’re struggling to understand.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
