Word
Definition
v. to put someone in a place they cannot leave, like a jail or a locked room. It means taking away someone's freedom.
v. to confine a person in a prison or a place of restricted movement. Transitive; implies a formal or forceful deprivation of liberty.
Examples
“The judge decided to imprison the thief for two years.”
“The government chose to imprison the political activists without a trial during the national emergency.”
“Historians argue that the decision to imprison the former monarch only served to galvanize the resistance and accelerate the eventual revolution.”
Examples
simple
“The judge decided to imprison the thief for two years.”
contextual
“The government chose to imprison the political activists without a trial during the national emergency.”
complex
“Historians argue that the decision to imprison the former monarch only served to galvanize the resistance and accelerate the eventual revolution.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “imprison” in context.
Verb
01. imprison the protesters for treason
“The regime decided to imprison the protesters for treason to discourage further dissent.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
02. imprison the suspects without trial
“Human rights groups criticized the government's decision to imprison the suspects without trial.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
03. threaten to imprison
“The dictator threatened to imprison anyone who spoke out against the new laws.”
verb + infinitive
Preposition
04. imprisoned in a cell
“The political prisoner remained imprisoned in a cell for twenty-three hours a day.”
prep + noun
Adverb
05. falsely imprison
“He sued the police department after they falsely imprisoned him without any evidence.”
adv + verb
06. wrongfully imprison
“The activist was wrongfully imprisoned for over a decade before the conviction was overturned.”
adv + verb
Usage
The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, typically a person or group.
Pitfall
He was imprisoned to five years.
He was imprisoned for five years.
Imprison describes the act of confinement; use 'for' to indicate the duration of the sentence.
Real-World Examples
“Imprisoned in a makeshift guardhouse in the middle of Oyster Bay (located in an old building used to bake bread), Maltbie waited for his sentence of death by hanging to be carried out.” “During the war, the Western Allies captured an estimated 35,000 Japanese service members, compared with ne arly 8 million Germans, including some 340,400 imprisoned in camps across the United States.” Etymology
Inherited from Middle English imprisonen, emprisounen, emprisonen, from Old French emprisonner. Equivalent to im- + prison.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/imprison
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0