to immure

Examples

• All

• We can no longer bear to see numbers of our parents immured in workhouses, our fathers separated from our mothers in direct contradiction to the laws of God and man, our sons degraded below human nature, our husbands and our little ones clothed in rags and pining on the face of the earth.

  Peterloo (2018)

• Perhaps we could simply... immure her.

  The Ladykillers (2004)

• In one, an unseen hand immures me.

  Fiction book (1999)

• They would immure her.

  Fiction book (1999)

• It immures them and leaves them to suffocate.

  Academic text (1996)

• For several weeks, she carries the egg sac in her jaws and immures herself within a silken cocoon, leaving only to warm her eggs in the sun.

  Academic text (1991)

• The king ordered his enemies to be immured in the dungeon beneath the castle.

• The ancient texts described how the villagers immured the traitor within the stone walls of their fortress.

• After the coup, the leaders of the opposition were immured to prevent them from taking power.

Synonyms

L

to lock up

vsto immure

300 4.0

Put someone or something in a place where they cannot leave, for example a jail

encloses someone within walls or a confined area rather than for safety reasons

I

to imprison

vsto immure

• Formal

178 4.2

Put someone in prison as a punishment or keep them locked up

encloses someone specifically within walls or a small confined space

P

to put away

vsto immure

115 5.8

To lock someone in prison or a secure place

encloses someone within walls or a small confined area rather than institutional placement

J

to jail

vsto immure

108 2.1

To put someone in prison as punishment

encloses someone within walls or a narrow space rather than general detention use

R

to restrain

vsto immure

86 4.6

Hold a person or thing so it cannot move freely

encloses someone within walls or a small space rather than merely limiting action

C

to cage

vsto immure

40 1.0

To put a person or animal into a space with bars that keeps them from escaping

encloses someone within walls or a small space rather than a movable enclosure

S

to shackle

vsto immure

35 6.2

To restrain someone with chains or limit their freedom

encloses someone within walls or a confined area rather than restraining limbs

P

to put behind bars

vsto immure

26 4.3

Send a person to prison as punishment

encloses someone within walls or a restricted small space rather than legal confinement

R

to remand

vsto immure

• Jargon

25 8.5

To put someone back in custody until their next hearing

encloses someone within walls or a narrow space rather than a judicial hold

I

to immobilize

vsto immure

21 6.0

To stop movement or action

encloses someone within walls or a narrow area rather than only stopping movement

H

to hem in

vsto immure

6 6.7

Surround a person or thing so they cannot leave

encloses someone fully within walls or a narrow space rather than only surrounding

C

to cage in

vsto immure

2 5.4

To put someone or something into a small space with bars to stop them moving freely

encloses someone within solid walls or narrow rooms rather than a removable barred enclosure

G

to gaol

vsto immure

• Archaic

9.9

To put someone in prison as punishment

encloses someone within walls or a confined room rather than institutional custody

L

to lag

vsto immure

• Archaic

9.9

To put someone in jail

encloses someone within walls or a restricted area rather than an old colloquial term

Antonyms

R

to release

∞ 1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

L

to liberate

104 4.3

Set someone free from prison or unfair control

How Confined

to imprison

• Formal

178 4.2

to immure

• Archaic

1 9.9

to confine

215 4.2

to detain

• Formal

169 5.9

to restrict

361 3.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology