as in prisons
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
a sentence in the state penitentiary for robbery
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Recent Examples of penitentiaries
The wave of prison violence is happening despite the deployment of military and police forces in several penitentiaries.
—
Michael Rios, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025
After his conviction, Gray was sent to Angola, one of the most violent penitentiaries in the country at the time.
—Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2025
Michael Rios, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025
After his conviction, Gray was sent to Angola, one of the most violent penitentiaries in the country at the time.
—Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiaries
Noun
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Iraq's National Center for International Judicial Cooperation said 5,704 suspects from 61 countries who were affiliated with IS were transferred from prisons in Syria.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, says mounting media campaigns from federal prisons is hardly as simple as buying a ring light and pressing record.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There have also been fewer inmate deaths in Tarrant County than in Dallas and Harris counties, although those county jails have more capacity — 7,552 beds in Dallas County and 10,466 beds in Harris County, the report shows.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Feb. 2026
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North Carolina legislators accurately portrayed a gap between how many people Immigration and Customs Enforcement picked up from Mecklenburg and Wake County jails through much of 2025.—
Mary Ramsey,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiaries. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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