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
Weger was taken to the Illinois state penitentiary in Joliet to begin his life sentence.
—
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2025
On top of her one-year sentence on obscenity charges, Adams was sentenced to six months at a women’s penitentiary—a pair of punishments that allowed authorities to start considering whether to ship her back to Poland upon her release from prison.
—Kellie B. Gormly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025
These inmates come from every BOP security level from minimum security campers to those coming from high security U.S. penitentiaries.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
The Torchlight Tour at Fremantle Prison takes visitors into the cells, tunnels, and courtyards of the prison, all by handheld light, with guides recounting the stories of those imprisoned in the 19th-century penitentiary.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2025
On top of her one-year sentence on obscenity charges, Adams was sentenced to six months at a women’s penitentiary—a pair of punishments that allowed authorities to start considering whether to ship her back to Poland upon her release from prison.
—Kellie B. Gormly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025
These inmates come from every BOP security level from minimum security campers to those coming from high security U.S. penitentiaries.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
The Torchlight Tour at Fremantle Prison takes visitors into the cells, tunnels, and courtyards of the prison, all by handheld light, with guides recounting the stories of those imprisoned in the 19th-century penitentiary.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiary
Noun
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In exchange, officials agreed to a sentence of 33-60 years in prison for the murder charge plus an additional two years of incarceration for the weapons charge, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
31 July 2025
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Brendan Doyle, who was also convicted of identity theft and robbery, was sentenced last year to 28 years and eight months to life in prison.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 July 2025
Noun
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Ghaly pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and was sentenced in November to 230 days in jail, plus probation.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 July 2025
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The American-Statesman and KVUE-TV recently discovered dozens of instances in which felony defendants stayed in jail well beyond 90 days without an indictment.—
Tony Plohetski,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiary. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.
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