imprison

/ɪmˈprɪzn/

/ɪmˈprɪzən/

Other forms: imprisoned; imprisoning; imprisons

To imprison is to hold someone in a prison or jail. It can also mean to confine them elsewhere. You might imprison a classmate in a locker, for example.

Cops imprison suspects who can't make bail, and someone could be imprisoned for a long time if convicted of a serious crime. Government agencies like the CIA and FBI also imprison people. However, you don't need a prison to imprison someone: a kidnapper holding people captive in the basement has imprisoned them.

Definitions of imprison

1. verb

   lock up or confine, in or as in a jail
   “The suspects were imprisoned without trial”

   synonyms: gaol, immure, incarcerate, jail, jug, lag, put away, put behind bars, remand

   type of:

   confine, detain

   deprive of freedom; take into confinement
2. verb

   confine as if in a prison
   “His daughters are virtually imprisoned in their own house”

   type of:

   confine, detain

   deprive of freedom; take into confinement