as in prison
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 penitentiary
On Monday, Venezuela's penitentiary authority said that 116 people had been freed.
—
Reuters, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
Williams developed the lead that convinced LAPD detectives to head to an Oklahoma penitentiary in search of answers from their new suspect, DarraLynn Madden.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
In mid-November, DOJ officials also responded, noting that the state penitentiary had been on lockdown only a total of about 17 days since late May, based on information provided by prison officials.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Price’s decision in December to play for women incarcerated in a Tennessee penitentiary underlines her feminist bond with royalty such as Loretta Lynn and June Carter Cash.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Reuters, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
Williams developed the lead that convinced LAPD detectives to head to an Oklahoma penitentiary in search of answers from their new suspect, DarraLynn Madden.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
In mid-November, DOJ officials also responded, noting that the state penitentiary had been on lockdown only a total of about 17 days since late May, based on information provided by prison officials.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Price’s decision in December to play for women incarcerated in a Tennessee penitentiary underlines her feminist bond with royalty such as Loretta Lynn and June Carter Cash.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiary
Noun
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Given his age, the prison term still could keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Hong Kong — Former Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, ending a years-long legal battle that has come to define Beijing’s transformational crackdown on the once-freewheeling financial hub.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Key Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa was arrested by heavily armed men on Sunday night, his supporters said, just hours after he had been released from a jail where he was held as a political prisoner.—
Diego Mendoza,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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His co-defendants received jail terms between 6¼ years and 10 years.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiary. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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