# incarcerate

Pronunciation: say "in-KAR-suh-rayt" US /ɪnˈkɑɹ.səˌɹeɪt/, UK /ɪnˈkɑː.səˌɹeɪt/

## Verb

1. To lock someone away; to imprison them, especially for breaking the law. *(US)*
   - Simple: To put someone in prison, especially for breaking the law.
   - _Federal prosecutors moved to incarcerate the executives convicted of fraud._
   - _Many states incarcerate people for minor drug offenses._
2. To confine someone or something; to shut up or enclose; to hem in.
   - Simple: To shut someone or something inside a place so they cannot get out.
   - _Thick fog incarcerated the fleet in the harbor for three days._
   - _Steep canyon walls incarcerate the river along this stretch._

## Adjective

3. Imprisoned or jailed; confined or shut in, whether in a prison or any enclosed place. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Kept in prison or shut inside a place and not able to leave.
   - _He remained incarcerate in the dungeon while his ransom was gathered._
   - _Smuggled letters from the incarcerate bishop reached his allies abroad._

## Origin

First attested as an adjective in 1528 and as a verb in 1575, it was borrowed from Medieval Latin incarcerātus, the past participle of incarcerō ("to imprison"), from Latin in- ("in") plus carcer ("a prison").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/incarcerate (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).