1520-30; < Medieval Latinincarcerātus past participle of incarcerāre to imprison, equivalent to in-in-2 + carcer prison + -ātus-ate1
Related forms
incarceration, noun
incarcerative, adjective
incarcerator, noun
unincarcerated, adjective
Synonyms
1. jail, immure, intern.
Examples from the web for incarcerate
We spend way too much to incarcerate non-violent drug users, who could be paying taxes rather than sucking them up.
There are some highly placed people who feel that the urge to incarcerate has gotten out of hand.
We incarcerate people because they post a danger to society.
The system of reeducation through labor allows the police to incarcerate a crime suspect for up to four years.
We incarcerate people who become addicted to drugs that our government promoted the sale of globally.
We cannot incarcerate vastly more citizens per capita than any other country.
With his past record, they could easily incarcerate him.
For generations, arson inspectors have used outmoded theories to help indict and incarcerate many suspects.
Making matters worse, this rush to incarcerate has not been matched by an equal commitment to funding.
Society must incarcerate serious and violent offenders who endanger the community.
British Dictionary definitions for incarcerate
incarcerate
/ɪnˈkɑːsəˌreɪt/
verb
1.
(transitive) to confine or imprison
Derived Forms
incarceration, noun incarcerator, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Medieval Latin incarcerāre, from Latin in-² + carcer prison
Word Origin and History for incarcerate
v.
1550s, a back-formation from incarceration, or else from Medieval Latin incarceratus, past participle of incarcerare "to imprison" (see incarceration). Related: Incarcerated; incarcerating.