Dictionary.com

incarcerate

[ verb in-kahr-suh-reyt; adjective in-kahr-ser-it, -suh-reyt ]
/ verb ɪnˈkɑr səˌreɪt; adjective ɪnˈkɑr sər ɪt, -səˌreɪt /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: incarcerate / incarcerated / incarceration on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), in·car·cer·at·ed, in·car·cer·at·ing.
to enclose; constrict closely.
adjective
imprisoned.
QUIZ
GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!
Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.
Question 1 of 9
Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

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, -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM incarcerate

in·car·cer·a·tion [in-kahr-suh-rey-shuhn], /ɪnˌkɑr səˈreɪ ʃən/, nounin·car·cer·a·tive, adjectivein·car·cer·a·tor, nounun·in·car·cer·at·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use incarcerate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for incarcerate

incarcerate
/ (ɪnˈkɑːsəˌreɪt) /

verb
(tr) to confine or imprison

Derived forms of incarcerate

incarceration, nounincarcerator, noun

Word Origin for incarcerate

C16: from Medieval Latin incarcerāre, from Latin in- ² + carcer prison
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK