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imprisonment

American  
[im-priz-uhn-muhnt] / ɪmˈprɪz ən mənt /

noun

  1. the act of confining in or as if in a prison; the state of being so confined.

    Identity theft and computer fraud are criminal offenses punishable by imprisonment.

    Winter up there means cumbersome living and imprisonment in an icy hell.

Etymology

Origin of imprisonment

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Old French emprisonnement, equivalent to imprison ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Between 2017 and 2020 I published several essays and a memoir about my mother’s imprisonment and our escape from the Islamic Republic, and the displacement that followed.

From The Wall Street Journal

Misconduct in public office is defined by the British Crown Prosecution Service as the “serious wilful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office” and can result in life imprisonment.

From The Wall Street Journal

"After 10 months in hiding and almost nine months of unjust imprisonment, I confirm that I am now completely free," Guanipa wrote on social media.

From Barron's

This level of complexity means that if someone is convicted, each case is sentenced differently, even though in theory the maximum is life imprisonment.

From BBC

If convicted of misconduct in public office, Mountbatten-Windsor could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.