Imprison — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

lock up or confine, in or as in a jail

confine as if in a prison

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɪmpɹˈɪzən/

🇬🇧British English

/ɪmpɹˈɪzən/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɪmpɹˈɪzən/

3 syllables Say it as /ɪmpɹˈɪzən/.

Examples

The suspects were imprisoned without trial
the murderer was incarcerated for the rest of his life
His daughters are virtually imprisoned in their own house; he does not let them go out without a chaperone

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

lag put away immure jug incarcerate gaol remand jail put behind bars

Parts of Speech

verb	lock up or confine, in or as in a jail “The suspects were imprisoned without trial”
verb	confine as if in a prison “His daughters are virtually imprisoned in their own house; he does not let them go out without a chaperone”

Word Forms

imprisonment	noun	putting someone in prison or in jail as lawful punishment
incarceration	noun	the state of being imprisoned
immurement	noun	the state of being imprisoned
jailer	noun	someone who guards prisoners
jailor	noun	someone who guards prisoners
jail	noun	a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence)
gaoler	noun	someone who guards prisoners
gaol	noun	a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence)
remand	noun	the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial (or the continuation of the trial)

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

einsperren

einsperren oder einsperren, in oder wie in einem Gefängnis

🇫🇷French

emprisonner

enfermer ou enfermer, dans ou comme dans une prison

🇪🇸Spanish

encarcelar

encerrar o confinar, en o como en una cárcel

🇮🇹Italian

imprigionare

rinchiudere o confinare, dentro o come in una prigione

🇳🇱Dutch

gevangen zetten

opsluiten of opsluiten, in of zoals in een gevangenis

🇵🇹Portuguese

aprisionar

trancar ou confinar, em ou como em uma prisão

🇷🇺Russian

заключать в тюрьму

запереть или заключить в тюрьму или как в тюрьме

India

🇮🇳Hindi

कैद

जेल में बंद करना या बंद करना

🇧🇩Bengali

জেল

লক আপ বা বন্দী, একটি জেলে বা হিসাবে

🇮🇳Tamil

சிறை

பூட்டி அல்லது அடைத்து, ஒரு சிறையில் அல்லது போன்ற

🇮🇳Telugu

ఖైదు

లాక్ అప్ లేదా నిర్బంధంలో, జైలులో లేదా జైలులో ఉన్నట్లుగా

🇮🇳Marathi

तुरुंगात टाकणे

बंदिस्त किंवा बंदिस्त, तुरुंगात किंवा त्याप्रमाणे

🇮🇳Gujarati

કેદ

જેલમાં અથવા જેલમાં બંધ કરો અથવા બંધ કરો

🇮🇳Kannada

ಸೆರೆವಾಸ

ಜೈಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅಥವಾ ಜೈಲಿನಲ್ಲಿರುವಂತೆ ಲಾಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ ಅಥವಾ ಬಂಧಿಸಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

തടവിലാക്കുക

ഒരു ജയിലിൽ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ജയിലിലെ പോലെ പൂട്ടുക അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അടച്ചിടുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਕੈਦ

ਬੰਦ ਕਰੋ ਜਾਂ ਕੈਦ ਕਰੋ, ਜੇਲ ਵਿਚ ਜਾਂ ਵਾਂਗ

🇵🇰Urdu

قید

بند یا قید کرنا، جیل میں یا جیسا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

监禁

锁起来或限制在监狱里或像在监狱里一样

🇯🇵Japanese

投獄する

刑務所の中に、または刑務所のように閉じ込める、または閉じ込める

🇰🇷Korean

투옥하다

감옥에 가두거나 감금하다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

bỏ tù

nhốt hoặc giam giữ, trong hoặc như trong nhà tù

🇹🇭Thai

จำคุก

ขังหรือกักขัง ในหรือในคุก

🇮🇩Indonesian

memenjarakan

mengunci atau mengurung, di dalam atau seperti di penjara

🇵🇭Filipino

makulong

ikulong o ikulong, sa loob o gaya ng nasa kulungan

🇲🇾Malay

penjarakan

mengurung atau mengurung, di dalam atau seperti di dalam penjara

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

حبس

الحبس أو الحبس، في السجن أو كما هو الحال في السجن

🇮🇷Persian

زندانی کردن

حبس یا حبس، در یا مانند یک زندان

🇹🇷Turkish

hapsetmek

bir hapishanede veya hapishanede olduğu gibi kilitlemek veya hapsetmek

🇮🇱Hebrew

לִכלוֹא

לנעול או להסתגר, בתוך או כמו בכלא

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'imprison'?

The primary meaning of 'imprison' is 'lock up or confine, in or as in a jail'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'imprison' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'imprison' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'imprison' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'imprison' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'imprison' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'imprison' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'imprison' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'imprison' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'imprison' in a professional email?

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Somewhat likely

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Never

Would you classify 'imprison' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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