imprison
gb/ɪmpɹˈɪzən/ us/ɪmpɹˈɪzən/
B2
English
~ 8000
bebörtönöz, börtönbe zár, fogságba zár, bezár, gúzsba köt
VERB
B2
1
bebörtönöz
B2
börtönbe zár
B1
Usage pattern:
to imprison [someone] for [a crime]
The court decided to imprison him for ten years for armed robbery.
A bíróság úgy döntött, hogy fegyveres rablásért tíz évre börtönbe zárják.
Journalists reported that the regime would often imprison political opponents without a fair trial.
Az újságírók arról számoltak be, hogy a rezsim gyakran tisztességes eljárás nélkül börtönözte be politikai ellenfeleit.
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.
Learner examples
The judge will imprison the man for five years.
A bíró öt évre börtönbe fogja zárni a férfit.
The police imprisoned the thief after the trial.
A rendőrség a tárgyalás után bebörtönözte a tolvajt.
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.
Common mistake:
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*).
Meaning
put someone in prison
Collocations
imprison [someone] for life
|wrongly imprisoned
|imprison without trial
|imprison political opponents
|imprison [someone] on charges of
|be imprisoned for [a crime]
Synonyms
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.)
Antonyms
release (Means to set someone free from prison or detention, the opposite of putting them there.)
Themes
law
|crime
|justice
Definition
to put someone in prison and not let them leave
To confine someone in a prison or similar institution, usually as a legal punishment or form of detention.
VERB
C1
2
Usage pattern:
to imprison [someone/something] in [a situation/place]
After the accident, she felt imprisoned in her own home, unable to go anywhere alone.
A baleset után úgy érezte, a saját otthonában van fogságban, és egyedül sehová sem tud menni.
Many people feel imprisoned by debt and constant financial pressure.
Sokan úgy érzik, hogy adósságaik és az állandó anyagi nyomás fogságban tartják őket.
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.
Learner examples
He felt imprisoned by his job and wanted a new life.
Úgy érezte, hogy a munkája fogságban tartja, és új életet akart kezdeni.
She was imprisoned in her room because the door was stuck.
A szobájában rekedt, mert beragadt az ajtó.
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.
Common mistake:
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.
Meaning
trap or confine, not in prison
Collocations
imprison someone in their own home
|imprison someone in a cage
|imprison someone in a relationship
|imprisoned by fear
|imprisoned in poverty
Synonyms
trap (Suggests being caught so you cannot escape; less formal and often used for both physical and non-physical situations.)
Antonyms
liberate (Formal verb meaning to set someone free from control or limitation, especially social or emotional; contrasts with being emotionally or socially imprisoned.)
Themes
emotions
|society
|core_vocabulary
Definition
to keep a person or thing so they cannot move or live freely, sometimes in a non-physical or emotional way
To trap or confine someone or something so that they cannot move or act freely, often used figuratively for emotional, social, or situational restriction.
Grammar
Dictionary form
imprison
IPA
GB/ɪmpɹˈɪzən/
US/ɪmpɹˈɪzən/
Syllables & stress
im - pris - on (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (pris)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: imprison
- 3rd Person Singular: imprisons
- Present Participle: imprisoning
- Past: imprisoned
Word family
Forms
imprisons
verb
imprisoning
verb
imprisoned
verb
Core family
Advanced or less common
imprisoner
noun
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.