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Incarcerate: meaning, definitions and examples

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incarcerate

 

[ ɪnˈkɑːrsəreɪt ]

Verb
Context #1 | Verb

in prison

To incarcerate means to put someone in prison or in another institution where their freedom is restricted. It is a formal term used in legal and official contexts.

Synonyms

confine, detain, imprison, lock-up

Examples of usage

  • They decided to incarcerate the criminal for his actions.
  • After being found guilty, the judge chose to incarcerate the defendant.
  • The government has the power to incarcerate individuals who pose a threat to society.
  • Many activists fight against the unjust incarceration of innocent people.
  • In some countries, political opponents of the regime are often incarcerated without fair trial.

Translations

Translations of the word "incarcerate" in other languages:

🇵🇹 encarcerar

🇮🇳 कैद करना

🇩🇪 inhaftieren

🇮🇩 memenjarakan

🇺🇦 ув'язнити

🇵🇱 uwięzić

🇯🇵 投獄する

🇫🇷 incarcérer

🇪🇸 encarcelar

🇹🇷 hapsolmak

🇰🇷 투옥하다

🇸🇦 سجن

🇨🇿 uvěznit

🇸🇰 uväzniť

🇨🇳 监禁

🇸🇮 zapreti

🇮🇸 fangelsa

🇰🇿 түрмеге қамау

🇬🇪 დაპატიმრება

🇦🇿 həbs etmək

🇲🇽 encarcelar

Word origin

The word 'incarcerate' originated from the Latin word 'incarceratus', which means 'imprisoned'. The prefix 'in-' denotes 'in' or 'into', and 'carcer' means 'prison'. The term has been used since the 16th century to describe the act of imprisoning someone. Throughout history, incarceration has been a method of punishment and rehabilitation for criminal behavior, evolving in form and purpose over time.

See also: incarcerated, incarceration.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #35,107, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.