imprison

English

Alternative forms

emprison

Etymology

From Middle English imprisonen, emprisounen, emprisonen, from Old French emprisonner.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɹɪzən/
Rhymes: -ɪzən
Audio (UK) (file)

Verb

imprison (third-person singular simple present imprisons, present participle imprisoning, simple past and past participle imprisoned)

(transitive) To put in or as if in prison; confine somebody against their will.
- 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 87:
  [...] demand for the boots fell sharply after the Battle of Waterloo, and Brunel was imprisoned for debt in 1821.

Usage notes

The term to imprison implies a sentencing has taken place, whereas to jail may imply a temporary holding before a trial, conviction, and sentencing.

Synonyms

bang up
gaol, jail
lock up
put away
immure
(Britain, colloquial) send to the Tower
See also Thesaurus:imprison

Derived terms

imprisoner
imprisonment

Translations

put in prison

Albanian: burgos (sq)
Arabic: حَبَسَ‎ (ar) (ḥabasa), سَجَنَ‎ (ar) (sajana)
Egyptian Arabic: حبس‎ (ḥabas)
Moroccan Arabic: تحبس‎ (taḥbas)
Armenian: բանտարկել (hy) (bantarkel), կալանավորել (hy) (kalanavorel)
Asturian: encarcelar
Bulgarian: опандизвам (opandizvam)
Catalan: empresonar (ca)
Cherokee: ᎠᏍᏚᎲᏍᎦ (asduhvsga)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 關押／关押 (zh) (guānyā), 監禁／监禁 (zh) (jiānjìn), 下獄／下狱 (zh) (xiàyù), 囚禁 (zh) (qiújìn)
Chukchi: ёк (jok)
Czech: uvěznit (cs) impf
Danish: fængsle
Esperanto: enprizonigi, malliberigi
Finnish: vangita (fi)
French: emprisonner (fr), mettre en prison
Old French: anprisoner
German: einsperren (de), einkerkern (de)
Greek: φυλακίζω (el) (fylakízo)
Ancient: φυλακίζω (phulakízō)
Hungarian: bebörtönöz (hu)
Icelandic: fangelsa (is)
Irish: cuir i bpríosún
Italian: imprigionare (it), incarcerare (it)
Japanese: 刑務所に入れる (ja) (けいむしょに入れる, keimusho ni ireru), 投獄する (ja) (とうごくする, tōgoku suru), (figurative) 閉じ込める (とじこめる, tojikomeru)
Korean: 투옥하다 (tuokhada)
Macedonian: за́твора (zátvora)
Manx: cur ayns pryssoon, pryssoonee
Maori: mauhere, whakaherehere
Norman: mettre en prison
Norwegian: fengsle (no)
Old English: hæftan, ġefæstnian
Polish: uwięzić (pl)
Portuguese: aprisionar (pt), prender (pt), encarcerar
Romanian: întemnița (ro), încarcera (ro), închide (ro)
Russian: лиша́ть свобо́ды impf (lišátʹ svobódy), заключа́ть в тюрьму́ impf (zaključátʹ v tjurʹmú), сажа́ть в тюрьму́ impf (sažátʹ v tjurʹmú)
Slovak: uväzniť impf
Spanish: encarcelar (es), aprisionar (es)
Swahili: -funga (sw)
Swedish: fängsla (sv)
Thai: ขัง (th) (kǎng)
Ukrainian: ув'я́знювати impf (uvʺjáznjuvaty), ув'язни́ти pf (uvʺjaznýty)
Vietnamese: bỏ tù (vi)
Volapük: fanäböpön (vo), fanäbükön (vo)
Walloon: eprijhner (wa), resserer (wa), reclôre (wa), egayoler (wa)

Anagrams

promisin'