as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
fittingly, the calaboose in that one-horse town consisted of a single cell
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Recent Examples of calaboose
Heritage Village includes an 1881 two-cell calaboose from Mokena, the 1856 Wells Corner one-room schoolhouse from Homer Glen, the 1863 Greenho farmhouse from Crest Hill, the 1881 Wabash railroad depot from Symerton and a Lockport smokehouse.
—
Jessi Virtusio,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2022
Lachenais was arrested and secured in the local calaboose, but a vigilance committee descended upon the jail and tore Lachenais out of his cell.
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Yxta Maya Murray,
Longreads,
19 Aug. 2020
Brooks was escorted to the calaboose and thrown into the main holding tank with the other prisoners.
—
Skip Hollandsworth,
Esquire,
5 Apr. 2016
Jessi Virtusio,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2022
Lachenais was arrested and secured in the local calaboose, but a vigilance committee descended upon the jail and tore Lachenais out of his cell.
—
Yxta Maya Murray,
Longreads,
19 Aug. 2020
Brooks was escorted to the calaboose and thrown into the main holding tank with the other prisoners.
—
Skip Hollandsworth,
Esquire,
5 Apr. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calaboose
Noun
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The driver of the fleeing vehicle was booked into the Wyandotte County Detention Center, according to the jail’s inmate listing.
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Epstein served about 13 months in a Florida jail, and was often permitted to leave the jail on work release.
Noun
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Two years ago, a judge freed Anthony Bailey after 27 years in the federal penitentiary, giving him a second chance at life.
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After a federal jury voted to convict him in early 2024, Hernández was sent to a notorious high-security penitentiary in West Virginia to serve his time.
Noun
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The pair, who were detained in March, had already spent four months in prison prior to the punishment, which ultimately reduced their sentence from 25 lashes to 21, the AP said.
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Taylor, 30, now faces a potential sentence of life in prison.
Cite this Entry
“Calaboose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calaboose. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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