as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
were amazed by the squalid, cramped quarters in the town's historic bastille
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Recent Examples of bastille
For his part, Bowie celebrated the election by joining forces with John Barleycorn and evicting the residents of the local bastille.
—
Robert Kolarik, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Feb. 2018
In these wet, wooden bastilles in New York waters, more Americans died than in all the battles of the Revolutionary War combined.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Smithsonian, 13 Mar. 2017
Robert Kolarik, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Feb. 2018
In these wet, wooden bastilles in New York waters, more Americans died than in all the battles of the Revolutionary War combined.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Smithsonian, 13 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastille
Noun
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The Sheriff’s Office committed to removing tie-off points from its jails but has not yet completed those renovations.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
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Police said five suspects were detained for questioning, and 17-year-old Maverik Parish was arrested and faces a murder charge, according to jail records.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The attack on the Michigan synagogue took place on the same day as a former Army National Guard member who served years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State group opened fire on a classroom at Old Dominion University in Virginia, killing one person and wounding two others.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Mar. 2026
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The pair are believed to have been found guilty in an Iranian court of spying on behalf of both France and Israel and given long prison sentences, according to the BBC.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Prisons employ hundreds of workers locally at two military facilities, the nation’s first federal penitentiary, a Kansas correctional facility and a county jail, all within six miles of City Hall.—
Heather Hollingsworth,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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He was arrested again in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1961 and spent four months in a penitentiary where fellow Freedom Riders cried out in song each night.—
Veronica Ortega,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bastille.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastille. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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