padded cell
noun
: a room in a mental hospital that has soft walls so that patients cannot hurt themselves
Examples of padded cell in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Richard Attenborough once mischievously locked his brother inside a padded cell in a building on campus that was once a Victorian lunatic asylum, according to the university.
—
Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Lawyers for Allen said he was placed on suicide watch shortly after arriving at jail last week, meaning he was held in a padded cell with the lights on constantly and no access to a phone or tablet.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 5 May 2026
Suspect Cole Tomas Allen was confined to a padded cell with constant lighting and repeatedly strip-searched; the judge noted the jail houses convicted killers without such restrictions.
—Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2026
Suffice to say, Clear Rivers’ padded cell has never looked smarter — and some tackier sequences near the end undercut that sparkling first impression from the Skyview.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 May 2025
While at the jail, Harris was placed in a restraint chair and put in a padded cell.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Other allegations include a suicidal child held in a padded cell without a toilet for weeks.
—USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024
The main cabin had been converted into a kind of padded cell, lined with soft white tiles in lieu of seats and overhead bins.
—Nicola Twilley, WIRED, 11 Feb. 2020
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Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Lawyers for Allen said he was placed on suicide watch shortly after arriving at jail last week, meaning he was held in a padded cell with the lights on constantly and no access to a phone or tablet.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 5 May 2026
Suspect Cole Tomas Allen was confined to a padded cell with constant lighting and repeatedly strip-searched; the judge noted the jail houses convicted killers without such restrictions.
—Michael Kunzelman, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2026
Suffice to say, Clear Rivers’ padded cell has never looked smarter — and some tackier sequences near the end undercut that sparkling first impression from the Skyview.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 May 2025
While at the jail, Harris was placed in a restraint chair and put in a padded cell.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024
Other allegations include a suicidal child held in a padded cell without a toilet for weeks.
—USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024
The main cabin had been converted into a kind of padded cell, lined with soft white tiles in lieu of seats and overhead bins.
—Nicola Twilley, WIRED, 11 Feb. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Padded cell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/padded%20cell. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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