imprison

imprison — verb

1. to keep someone locked inside a prison as a legal punishment for breaking the la

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to keep someone locked inside a prison as a legal punishment for breaking the law

Example

The judge imprisoned Devika for five years after she was found guilty of fraud.

passive: be imprisoned for [crime/duration]

During the war, many journalists were imprisoned without ever being put on trial.

passive: be imprisoned without [due process]

Common collocations
  • wrongfully imprisoned
  • unjustly imprisoned
  • imprisoned for life
  • imprisoned without trial
  • sentenced to be imprisoned
Synonyms
  • jail

    less formal and more common in everyday speech; can also function as a noun

  • incarcerate

    more formal and technical, often used in legal documents

  • lock up

    informal phrasal verb; suggests immediate, concrete action

Antonyms
  • release

    to set someone free from prison

  • free

    to let someone go; opposite of confining

Grammar Patterns

imprison + object

be imprisoned for + crime/duration

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive voice, especially when the authority doing the imprisoning is obvious or unnamed. The active subject is typically a court, judge, or legal system.

Common Mistakes

The police imprisoned him for questioning.
The police arrested him for questioning.
Imprison refers to a formal punishment after conviction, not temporary detention.

2. to limit someone's freedom so severely that they feel trapped, especially within

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to limit someone's freedom so severely that they feel trapped, especially within a small space or a difficult situation

Example

Nora felt imprisoned in her home by parents who never let her go out alone.

feel imprisoned + in [place] + by [person]

The heavy snowstorm left the villagers imprisoned in their houses for almost a week.

passive: be imprisoned in [place] by [force of nature]

Common collocations
  • feel imprisoned by
  • imprisoned in a role
  • imprisoned by routine
  • imprisoned in a marriage
  • imprisoned by fear
Synonyms
  • confine

    less intense; can apply to animals or objects, not only people

  • trap

    more informal and immediate; suggests a sudden or unexpected confinement

  • shut in

    phrasal verb with a similar emotional weight but less formal

Antonyms
  • free

    to allow someone to move or live as they wish

  • liberate

    to release from a limiting situation; more formal and emphatic

Grammar Patterns

feel imprisoned + by/in + noun phrase

be imprisoned + in + place/situation

Usage Note

Often used with 'feel' to describe a subjective experience of confinement. The agent may be a person, a situation, a set of rules, or a physical condition — unlike sense 1, where the agent is a legal authority.

Common Mistakes

She imprisoned the letters in a drawer.
She locked the letters in a drawer.
Imprison is only used for living beings capable of experiencing confinement.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five words involve restricting someone's freedom, but they differ in register and scope. Imprison is the standard formal term for putting someone in prison as legal punishment. Jail is less formal and often used in everyday news or conversation; it can also serve as a noun ('sent to jail'). Incarcerate is the most technical and appears mainly in legal or official documents. Lock up is an informal phrasal verb that emphasizes the physical act of securing someone behind bars. Confine is broader: it can mean restricting movement in any space, not necessarily a prison, and applies to animals and objects as well. For example, a court may imprison a criminal, but you confine a dog to the backyard.

imprison ↗jail ↗incarceratelock up ↗confine ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be imprisoned for
  • feel imprisoned by
  • imprisoned without trial

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Imprison entered English in the early 1300s from Old French 'emprisoner', which was formed by combining 'en-' (meaning 'in') and 'prison' (meaning 'prison'). The word has kept its core meaning of 'put in prison' ever since, but by the 1500s it was already being used figuratively for any situation that feels like confinement.