incarcerate

/ɪnˈkɑːsəreɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈkɑːrsəreɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈkär-sə-ˌrāt/ (ame, mw)

incarcerate — verb

  • incarceratepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • incarcerateshe / she / it
  • incarceratedpast simple
  • incarcerating-ing form

1. to send someone to prison, or to hold them there as a punishment after a court h

1.動詞及物C2
釋義

to send someone to prison, or to hold them there as a punishment after a court has decided they committed a crime.

例句

The judge incarcerated Obi for ten years after the armed robbery conviction.

incarcerate + somebody + for + length-of-sentence

Tuan was incarcerated in a maximum-security prison for drug trafficking.

passive: be incarcerated in [place] for [crime]

同義詞
  • imprison

    more common in everyday writing; same meaning, less formal register

  • jail

    informal; usually shorter-term detention, often before trial

  • lock up

    informal phrasal verb; broad and conversational

反義詞
  • release

    to let a prisoner leave at the end of a sentence

  • free

    general antonym; can apply to any kind of confinement

文法句型

incarcerate + somebody

be incarcerated (for + crime)

be incarcerated (in + place)

用法筆記

Subject is usually a court, judge, government, or law; the object is the person sent to prison. Frequently passive when the focus is on the prisoner rather than the authority.

常見錯誤

❌The police incarcerated the thief at the station.
✅The police arrested the thief and held him at the station.
💡'incarcerate' refers to formal imprisonment after sentencing, not short-term police custody.
❌He was incarcerated to ten years.
✅He was incarcerated for ten years.
💡the duration takes 'for', not 'to'.

2. to shut a person inside a closed space so that they cannot get out, especially a

2.動詞及物C2
釋義

to shut a person inside a closed space so that they cannot get out, especially against their will.

例句

The kidnappers had incarcerated Iris in a small basement room for three weeks.

incarcerate + somebody + in + closed-space

During the outbreak, the patients were incarcerated in a small hospital wing.

passive use with institutional setting

同義詞
  • confine

    more neutral; can be voluntary (confined to bed) or involuntary

  • shut up

    informal phrasal verb; same meaning of forced indoor confinement

  • hold captive

    emphasises the captor-captive relationship

反義詞
  • release

    to allow someone to leave a closed space

文法句型

incarcerate + somebody + in + place

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense does not require a court order or legal punishment — it covers any forced confinement in a closed space, including kidnapping, quarantine, or figurative entrapment.

常見錯誤

❌The dog was incarcerated in the back yard.
✅The dog was kept in the back yard.
💡'incarcerate' is used for people, not animals, and implies a closed, prison-like space.