incarceration
noun
in·car·cer·a·tion
(ˌ)in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən 
plural incarcerations
: confinement in a jail or prison : the act of imprisoning someone or the state of being imprisoned
Despite the drop in crime in past decades, rates of arrest and incarceration in New York City have not gone down.—
Robin Steinberg
Robin SteinbergTo this day, the Supreme Court has not overruled its infamous Korematsu opinion of 1944, which validated our mass incarceration in deference to national security.—George Takei
George TakeiExamples of incarceration in a Sentence
he was bored and frustrated by his incarceration in the quarantine
sentenced to six months of incarceration for dealing in narcotics
Recent Examples on the Web
State officials say Torres owes more than $300,000 for the cost of his past incarceration in Connecticut and are seeking to recover that debt from any settlement granted to the Torres-García estate.
—Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
While the median home price in the Baltimore area is around $360,000, the median asset wealth for a Black family in the city unaffected by incarceration is approximately $2,700.
—Izabela Engel, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2026
Another challenge came in the form of how to describe three and a half years, beginning in March 1942, that Mirikitani spent at the Tule Lake incarceration camp in Northern California, alongside thousands of other Japanese American citizens.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
His sentence includes 15 years of supervised probation following incarceration.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
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Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2026
While the median home price in the Baltimore area is around $360,000, the median asset wealth for a Black family in the city unaffected by incarceration is approximately $2,700.
—Izabela Engel, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2026
Another challenge came in the form of how to describe three and a half years, beginning in March 1942, that Mirikitani spent at the Tule Lake incarceration camp in Northern California, alongside thousands of other Japanese American citizens.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
His sentence includes 15 years of supervised probation following incarceration.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incarceration
Cite this Entry
“Incarceration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incarceration. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
incarceration
noun
in·car·cer·a·tion
in-ˌkär-sə-ˈrā-shən
1
: a confining or state of being confined
2
: abnormal retention or confinement of a body part
specifically
: a constriction of the neck of a hernial sac so that the hernial contents become irreducible
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