Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

imprison

/ɪmˈpɹɪzən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.87 in modern English

Syllables: im-pris-on
IPA: /ɪmˈpɹɪzən/

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To put in or as if in prison; confine somebody against their will.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"One of the village's most notable sons was Thomas Grantham, a Baptist church leader born in 1634, who was persecuted and imprisoned in the struggle for nonconformist beliefs during the reign of Charles II."
"None of these people has ever had what they really wanted, and if they get a glimmer of it, they back off suspiciously, failures of imagination helping to imprison them further."
"[...] demand for the boots fell sharply after the Battle of Waterloo, and Brunel was imprisoned for debt in 1821."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Old French en- Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh₂i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- Proto-Indo-European *-né- Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Indo-European *gʰnédti Proto-Italic *hendō Proto-Italic *praiɣendō Latin prehendō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin prehēnsiō Old French prison Proto-Italic *-āzi ▲ Latin -ereinflu. Latin -āre Old French -er Old French emprisonnerbor. Middle English emprisonen Middle English imprisonen English imprison Inherited from Middle English imprisonen, emprisounen, emprisonen, from Old French emprisonner. Equivalent to im- + prison.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Prefix: im-
Root: imprisonen, emprisonner
Suffix: prison

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

imprisons (present, singular) imprisoning (participle, present) imprisoned (participle, past) imprisoned (past) emprison (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

disimprison imprisonable imprisoner imprisonment reimprison unimprison

Phrases

be in for behind bars sent to the Tower

Frequently Paired Words

be in for behind bars sent to the Tower prison prisoner

Synonyms

bang up gaol jail lock up put away immure send to the Tower bastille clap up confine incarcerate imprison

Rhymes With

prison risen arisen kisan dizon krizan mizzen bedizen wizen bedizzen

Questions

How do you pronounce imprison?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɪmˈpɹɪzən/.
What does imprison mean?: To put in or as if in prison; confine somebody against their will.
Where does imprison come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce imprison

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “imprison”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɪmˈpɹɪzən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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