Englisch

imprison

gb/ɪmpɹˈɪzən/ us/ɪmpɹˈɪzən/
B2 Englisch
~ 8000
Bedeutungen
0 Bedeutungen
Verb B2 action
1

put someone in prison

to put someone in prison and not let them leave

Verwendungsmuster: to imprison [someone] for [a crime]
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners sometimes say *"He was prisoned"* instead of *"He was imprisoned"*. Remember that *prison* is usually a noun, and the correct verb is *imprison*. Also, instead of saying *"They put him in the prison"*, it is more natural to say *"They imprisoned him"* or *"They put him in prison"* (without *the*).
Synonyme
jail (More informal and common in everyday speech; can be used as both noun and verb, whereas 'imprison' is slightly more formal and legal-sounding.)
Antonyme
release (Means to set someone free from prison or detention, the opposite of putting them there.)
Wortverbindungen
imprison [someone] for life |wrongly imprisoned |imprison without trial |imprison political opponents |imprison [someone] on charges of |be imprisoned for [a crime]
Themen
law |crime |justice
Beispiele
  • The court decided to imprison him for ten years for armed robbery.
  • Journalists reported that the regime would often imprison political opponents without a fair trial.
  • She was imprisoned for fraud after a long investigation.
  • They threatened to imprison anyone who broke the curfew.
  • He was wrongly imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.
Beispiele für Lernende
  • The judge will imprison the man for five years.
  • The police imprisoned the thief after the trial.
  • Many people were imprisoned during the war.
  • He was imprisoned for a crime he did not do.
  • They want to imprison people who are very dangerous.
Verb C1 action
2

trap or confine, not in prison

to keep a person or thing so they cannot move or live freely, sometimes in a non-physical or emotional way

Verwendungsmuster: to imprison [someone/something] in [a situation/place]
Häufiger Fehler:
Learners may overuse this figurative sense and create unnatural sentences, such as *"The long class imprisoned me"*. In many cases, it is more natural to say *"The long class bored me"* or *"I felt stuck in the long class"*. Use figurative *imprison* when the loss of freedom is strong and serious, not just mildly unpleasant.
Synonyme
trap (Suggests being caught so you cannot escape; less formal and often used for both physical and non-physical situations.)
Antonyme
liberate (Formal verb meaning to set someone free from control or limitation, especially social or emotional; contrasts with being emotionally or socially imprisoned.)
Wortverbindungen
imprison someone in their own home |imprison someone in a cage |imprison someone in a relationship |imprisoned by fear |imprisoned in poverty
Themen
emotions |society |core_vocabulary
Beispiele
  • After the accident, she felt imprisoned in her own home, unable to go anywhere alone.
  • Many people feel imprisoned by debt and constant financial pressure.
  • The character in the novel is emotionally imprisoned by his fear of failure.
  • Strict family rules can sometimes imprison teenagers in a life they did not choose.
  • The small bird looked completely imprisoned in the narrow metal cage.
Beispiele für Lernende
  • He felt imprisoned by his job and wanted a new life.
  • She was imprisoned in her room because the door was stuck.
  • Many people are imprisoned in bad relationships.
  • The dog was imprisoned in a small box.
  • She said her fear of flying imprisoned her at home.
Grammatik
Grundform
imprison
IPA
GB/ɪmpɹˈɪzən/
US/ɪmpɹˈɪzən/
Silben & Betonung
im - pris - on (3 Silben)
Stress on 2nd syllable (pris)
Wortformen
Verb
  • Base: imprison
  • 3rd Person Singular: imprisons
  • Present Participle: imprisoning
  • Past: imprisoned
Wortfamilie
Forms
imprisons verb imprisoning verb imprisoned verb
Core family
imprisonment noun B2 prison noun A2 prisoner noun A2
Advanced or less common
imprisoner noun
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