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Synonyms

internment

American  
[in-turn-muhnt] / ɪnˈtɜrn mənt /

noun

  1. an act or instance of interning, or confining a person or ship to prescribed limits during wartime.

    the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

  2. the state of being interned; confinement.

internment British  
/ ɪnˈtɜːnmənt /

noun

    1. the act of interning or state of being interned, esp of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects

    2. ( as modifier )

      an internment camp
"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

Etymology

Origin of internment

First recorded in 1865–70; intern 2 + -ment

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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.

In 1942 he entered one of the government’s Japanese internment camps.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

At the time, China repeatedly rejected accusations that it was keeping Uyghurs in internment camps.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

Before their internment, most of them came from poverty or jail before being enticed, or tricked, into fighting for Russia as mercenaries or on the promise of release from prison.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

The use of this ancient wartime power, which was only used three times before, and grievously abused in the case of the Japanese and Italian American internment, is an attack on common sense.

From Salon • May 2, 2025

But there is no escaping the fact that our internment accelerated the process, made it happen so suddenly it was almost tangible.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston

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.