imprison, release, suspend, charge, testify: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Advanced set 5. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. imprison · verb/ɪmˈprɪzən/

   put someone in prison

   One of the bank robbers was imprisoned for five years, while the accomplice was never found.

   Synonyms: confine, detain

   Origin: Middle English emprison, from Old French emprisoner, from em- ‘in’ + prison

2. release · verb/rəˈlis/

   set somebody free or let something go

   Dozens of reporters flocked around the infamous mobster's home on the day he was released from prison.

   Synonyms: let out, liberate, free, set loose

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French reles (noun), relesser (verb), from Latin relaxare ‘stretch out again, slacken’ (see relax)

3. suspend · verb/səˈspɛnd/

   remove someone from their usual position for a period of time, often as a punishment; make a legal document temporarily inactive, often a license

   The ethics committee voted to suspend the doctor temporarily until his involvement with the drug scandal was formally resolved.

   Synonyms: debar, block

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French suspendre or Latin suspendere, from sub- ‘from below’ + pendere ‘hang’

4. charge · verb/tʃɑrdʒ/

   to formally accuse someone of committing a crime

   The 32-year old man charged with assaulting a woman at a local bar will face trial next week.

   Synonyms: blame, accuse, press charges

   Origin: Middle English (in the general senses ‘to load’ and ‘a load’), from Old French charger (verb), charge (noun), from late Latin carricare, carcare ‘to load’, from Latin carrus ‘wheeled vehicle’

5. testify · verb/ˈtɛstəˌfaɪ/

   provide evidence or testimony in a court of law

   A store clerk testified against the suspect, saying he had seen him purchasing a rifle at the store the day before the incident.

   Synonyms: give evidence, appear as a witness

   Origin: late Middle English: from Latin testificari, from testis ‘a witness’