incarcerate
Americanverb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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incarceratesimple
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incarceratessimple
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have incarceratedperfect
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has incarceratedperfect
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am incarceratingprogressive
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are incarceratingprogressive
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is incarceratingprogressive
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have been incarceratingperfect progressive
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has been incarceratingperfect progressive
Past
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incarceratedsimple
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had incarceratedperfect
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was incarceratingprogressive
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were incarceratingprogressive
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had been incarceratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of incarcerate
First recorded in 1520–30; from Medieval Latin incarcerātus, past participle of incarcerāre “to imprison,” equivalent to in- “in” + carcer “prison” + -ātus past participle suffix; see in- 2, -ate 1
Explanation
Use the verb incarcerate when you need to put someone behind bars in a big way, meaning, send them to prison, like those who, after being found guilty of a crime and sentenced, become incarcerated. The word incarcerate entered the English language in the sixteenth century, tracing back to the Latin word meaning “imprisoned.” If you incarcerate people, that means you imprison them for a predetermined amount of time in a jail, prison, or a detention center. It’s good to know the meaning of incarcerate, but make sure you never get so close to it that you have firsthand knowledge of the word.
Vocabulary lists containing incarcerate
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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.
See Examples For:
Arleo, the federal judge in Newark, N.J., said she had no power to review or oversee the bankruptcy process or incarcerate individuals unless they are charged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
States that build more prisons incarcerate more people.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2024
We can’t arrest, incarcerate and punish our way out of this complex problem.
From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2024
Retail theft is causing a civic meltdown and inspiring a ballot measure to incarcerate repeat toothpaste thieves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2024
“I see they spared no expense to incarcerate us,” I say.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
It isn’t clear why she was serving her sentence at Hiland, which typically incarcerates state prisoners.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
Castellanos was only the eighth inmate granted compassionate release this year across a prison system that incarcerates about 95,000 people, said Mary Xjimenez, a spokeswoman for the state corrections department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2023
The jail historically incarcerates almost exclusively Black and Brown people and is currently more than 90 percent people of color, she said.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 29, 2023
Our prison system incarcerates two million people more than any other country on earth.
From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2022
He has a number of Indian policemen to assist him in preserving order, and a gaol in Metlakahtla, in which he incarcerates malefactors.
From Metlakahtla and the North Pacific Mission by Eugene Stock
"I am not going to have this woman sit incarcerated for the next year or two or three," he said.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Gonzales-Torres, 31, previously worked as a part-time counselor for formerly incarcerated Pasadena City College students, interned in Mayor Karen Bass’s administration and volunteered on the Metro Public Safety Advisory Committee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Before 2026, the rule has been that if you were getting hormones at the time you’re incarcerated, you’d continue to get them during your incarceration.
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2026
“You Can See Everything” has viewers reeling from its intimate look at the Theranos founder’s pre-prison life with her family—and filmmakers’ quest to reach her after she’s incarcerated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
I wondered what danger the caged men presented that they couldn't sit with the other incarcerated men on the benches.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
All litigation is frozen, including cases where the DOJ was investigating and litigating jurisdictions for incarcerating people in inhumane conditions, and the department is throwing out some preexisting consent decrees.
From Slate ● Jul. 5, 2025
Judge David De Pas said as he delivered the verdict that "the state of health of the main protagonists ethically prohibits incarcerating anyone".
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2025
The cost of incarcerating an unhoused person is approximately $106,000 per year — and that does not account for policing and court administration expenses.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
“Is there a willingness to concede that incarcerating someone with dementia,” she asks, “is, maybe, questionable?”
From Scientific American ● Aug. 17, 2023
Cost of incarcerating one juvenile for life: $2.5 million.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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