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:
The state imprisonment rate in 2019 was the lowest it had been since 1988, and it had shrunk by 20% since 2007.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
"Before his death, my uncle... had endured displacement, poverty, imprisonment and loss," Ajila told AFP, decrying the lingering danger from "houses on the verge of collapse".
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
In addition to the imprisonment of Gao, the authorities also barred his wife and 7-year-old son, a U.S. citizen, from leaving China, their supporters said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
He was later awarded nearly $1 million from the Victim Compensation Board of California for his wrongful imprisonment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
To violate or ignore a banning order was to invite imprisonment.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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
Ms. Safranova’s conviction and sentencing follow a spate of imprisonments of Witnesses in Russia this month.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 26, 2022
Since the group established the database of imprisonments in 1992, it has become a global benchmark for measuring repression of journalists.
From New York Times ● Dec. 9, 2021
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.
