Definitions for imprisonment
im·pris·on·ment

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. imprisonmentnoun

   putting someone in prison or in jail as lawful punishment

2. captivity, imprisonment, incarceration, immurementnoun

   the state of being imprisoned

   "he was held in captivity until he died"; "the imprisonment of captured soldiers"; "his ignominious incarceration in the local jail"; "he practiced the immurement of his enemies in the castle dungeon"

3. imprisonment, internmentnoun

   the act of confining someone in a prison (or as if in a prison)

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. imprisonmentnoun

   A confinement in a place, especially a prison.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Imprisonmentnoun

   Confinement; clausure; state of being shut in prison. It may be written emprisonment.

   Etymology: emprisonnement, Fr. from imprison.

   His sinews waxen weak and raw,
   Through long imprisonment and hard constraint. F. Queen.

   Which shall I first bewail,
   Thy bondage or lost sight,
   Thou art become, O worst imprisonment!
   The dungeon of thyself. John Milton, Agonistes.

   From retentive cage
   When sullen Philomel escapes, her notes
   She varies, and of past imprisonment
   Sweetly complains. Phillips.

   Count Serini, still close prisoner in this castle, lost his senses by his long imprisonment and afflictions. Addison.

   It is well if they don't fix the brand of heresy on the man who is leading them out of their long imprisonment, and looseing the fetters of their souls. Isaac Watts, Impr. of the Mind.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Imprisonment

   Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessarily imply a place of confinement, with bolts and bars, but may be exercised by any use or display of force (such as placing one in handcuffs), lawfully or unlawfully, wherever displayed, even in the open street. People become prisoners, wherever they may be, by the mere word or touch of a duly authorized officer directed to that end. Usually, however, imprisonment is understood to imply an actual confinement in a jail or prison employed for the purpose according to the provisions of the law.Sometimes gender imbalances occur in imprisonment rates, with incarceration of males proportionately more likely than incarceration of females.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. imprisonment

   Imprisonment is a legal punishment or penalty wherein an individual is confined or detained in a structured setting such as a prison or jail. This often occurs as a result of the individual being convicted of a crime. The duration of the imprisonment can depend on the nature and severity of the offense committed. It might also include conditions like parole and probation.

Military Dictionary and GazetteerRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. imprisonment

   Officers may be sentenced to imprisonment by a general court-martial in any case where the court may have discretionary authority. General, garrison, and regimental courts-martial may sentence soldiers to imprisonment, solitary or otherwise, with or without hard labor, for various offenses enumerated in the Articles of War. A garrison or regimental court-martial, in awarding imprisonment, is limited to a period not exceeding thirty days. When a court awards solitary imprisonment as a punishment, it is necessary that the words “solitary confinement” should be expressed in the sentence. The legal imprisonment in the United States is confinement, solitary confinement, and confinement on bread and water; confinement on bread and water shall not extend over fourteen days at a time, with intervals between the periods of such confinement not less than such periods, and not exceeding eighty-four days in any one year.

Matched Categories

1. • Confinement
   • Law
   • Punishment

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'imprisonment' in Nouns Frequency: #2319

How to pronounce imprisonment?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say imprisonment in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of imprisonment in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of imprisonment in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of imprisonment in a Sentence

1. Gleisi Hoffmann:

   We consider this to be a political imprisonment, an imprisonment that will expose Brazil before the world, we will become a banana republic.

2. Sophal Ear:

   A culture of dialogue is breaking down and giving way to a culture of threats and impunity, you can see the strategy already ... and what you have is essentially the threat of imprisonment in order to control people better.

3. Martin Luther King Jr.:

   I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.

4. Senator Miguel Saguier:

   Such immunity does not prevent the imprisonment of anyone. They are creating a storm in a tea cup.

5. Janet Lyness:

   They couldn't give me assurances, (But) I think life imprisonment is the most likely option.

Popularity rank by frequency of use