Imprison

Pronunciation: /ɪmˈprɪzən/

Definitions of imprison

verb to confine or restrict someone's freedom by putting them in prison

Example Sentences

A1 The police officer imprisoned the criminal for stealing.

A2 She was imprisoned for a week for not paying her parking tickets.

B1 The dictator imprisoned anyone who spoke out against him.

B2 The corrupt businessman was finally imprisoned for his illegal activities.

C1 The judge decided to imprison the serial killer for life.

C2 Despite his wealth and power, the politician was eventually imprisoned for his crimes.

Examples of imprison in a Sentence

formal The judge decided to imprison the criminal for ten years.

informal They're going to imprison that guy for a long time.

slang They're gonna throw him in the slammer for a while.

figurative Her guilt imprisoned her mind, preventing her from moving forward.

Grammatical Forms of imprison

• past tense: imprisoned
• plural: imprisons
• comparative: more imprisoned
• superlative: most imprisoned
• present tense: imprisons
• future tense: will imprison
• perfect tense: has imprisoned
• continuous tense: is imprisoning
• singular: imprison
• positive degree: imprison
• infinitive: to imprison
• gerund: imprisoning
• participle: imprisoned

Origin and Evolution of imprison

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'imprison' originated from the Old French word 'emprisoner' which was derived from the Latin word 'imprisonare', meaning to put in prison.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'imprison' has retained its original meaning of confining someone in a prison or jail, with no significant evolution in its usage or meaning.