incarcerate

American  

[in-kahr-suh-reyt, in-kahr-ser-it, -suh-reyt] / ɪnˈkɑr səˌreɪt, ɪnˈkɑr sər ɪt, -səˌreɪt /

verb (used with object)

incarcerated, incarcerating

1. to imprison; confine.

   Synonyms:

   intern, immure, jail

2. to enclose; constrict closely.

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adjective

1. imprisoned.

incarcerate British  

/ ɪnˈkɑːsəˌreɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to confine or imprison

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Other Word Forms

• incarceration
  noun
• incarcerative
  adjective
• incarcerator
  noun
• unincarcerated
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

For more than a century, California’s approach to incarcerating people has gone mostly like this: Incarcerate them.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 1, 2021

Related Words

• confine
• detain
• imprison
• jail
• lock up