INTERNMENT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does internment mean? 

• INTERNMENT (noun)
  The noun INTERNMENT has 3 senses:

1. confinement during wartime

2. the act of confining someone in a prison (or as if in a prison)

3. placing private property in the custody of an officer of the law

  Familiarity information: INTERNMENT used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• INTERNMENT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Confinement during wartime

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("internment" is a kind of...):

captivity; immurement; imprisonment; incarceration (the state of being imprisoned)

Derivation:

intern (deprive of freedom)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of confining someone in a prison (or as if in a prison)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

imprisonment; internment

Hypernyms ("internment" is a kind of...):

confinement (the act of restraining of a person's liberty by confining them)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "internment"):

lockdown (the act of confining prisoners to their cells (usually to regain control during a riot))

false imprisonment ((law) confinement without legal authority)

custody (holding by the police)

Derivation:

intern (deprive of freedom)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Placing private property in the custody of an officer of the law

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

impounding; impoundment; internment; poundage

Hypernyms ("internment" is a kind of...):

seizure (the taking possession of something by legal process)

Domain category:

jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "internment"):

drug bust; drugs bust (seizure of illegal drugs by the police)