as in internment
the act of confining or the state of being confined
the wildlife refuge raises endangered species in captivity and then releases them into the wild
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Recent Examples of captivity
For 62 nights they were held in captivity, hidden in an unknown location at the eastern edge of Haiti’s capital.
—
Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 16 May 2025
Most cases of long-term captivity – such as the one in Perris, California, where a couple was convicted of imprisoning their 13 children – are unique in their bizarreness, but the victims of these high-profile cases seem to rebound in surprisingly big ways.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 14 May 2025
While very little was known about the snails when they were initially taken into captivity, the team is continually discovering new things about these molluscs.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 May 2025
Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander arrives in Israel after being released from Gaza, where he was held in Hamas captivity for 19 months, May 12, 2025, Israel, Reim.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for captivity
Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 16 May 2025
Most cases of long-term captivity – such as the one in Perris, California, where a couple was convicted of imprisoning their 13 children – are unique in their bizarreness, but the victims of these high-profile cases seem to rebound in surprisingly big ways.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 14 May 2025
While very little was known about the snails when they were initially taken into captivity, the team is continually discovering new things about these molluscs.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 May 2025
Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander arrives in Israel after being released from Gaza, where he was held in Hamas captivity for 19 months, May 12, 2025, Israel, Reim.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for captivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captivity
Noun
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In 1940, the barracks became an internment camp for Italian suspects, later used as a prisoner of war camp under the German occupation.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
30 May 2025
-
China detained more than 1 million Uyghurs in internment camps from 2017 to 2019 in the name of fighting extremism.—
David Pierson,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Smith's journey from incarceration to entrepreneurship and advocacy serves as a testament to the power of redemption and the impact one individual can have on systemic change.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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An analysis of the data reveals the sheer scale of youth incarceration in adult jails in Maryland.—
Rachel Baye,
NPR,
5 June 2025
Noun
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He was subsequently ordered to home confinement in April 2025.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
29 May 2025
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At least nine of the 25 arrested have landed in immigration detention — scattered across the country from a crowded lockup in Miami to a facility in a sleepy Texas railway town to a confinement in a Pacific Northwest port city overlooked by Mount Rainier.—
Hannah Critchfield,
Sun Sentinel,
29 May 2025
Noun
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But Hoover will remain in prison, serving a 200-year sentence for his state court conviction for murder.—
Claire Malon,
Chicago Tribune,
31 May 2025
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After a guilty plea, Brown faces up to 20 years in prison.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Captivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captivity. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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