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
Behind bars in state penitentiaries in Gatesville and Marlin, Mejia felt forgotten.
—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
Early last year, prison officials transferred Hernández out of the federal detention center in Brooklyn, which largely holds pretrial detainees, and sent him to the high-security Hazelton penitentiary in West Virginia.
—Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 18 Feb. 2026
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
Azcarate sentenced Magalhaes to 10 years in the penitentiary and two years suspended.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026
Early last year, prison officials transferred Hernández out of the federal detention center in Brooklyn, which largely holds pretrial detainees, and sent him to the high-security Hazelton penitentiary in West Virginia.
—Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 18 Feb. 2026
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
Azcarate sentenced Magalhaes to 10 years in the penitentiary and two years suspended.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiary
Noun
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On that same day, nearly 300 people were sent to the prison in El Salvador from the same Texas detention center, according to the American Immigration Council.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
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Sacramento’s smallest zoo Alali now lives in Natomas with her fiancé, Alex Saraceno, along with Merlin; a girl group of rats named Monica, Moira and Amy; a former prison pigeon named Al Capone; a bearded dragon named Muffy; and a dog named Maverick.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Captain has been released from jail after a judge set bail at $250,000, and he is set to enter a plea on April 9, court records show.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2026
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Housing would be freed up by deporting some people and putting others in jail.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiary. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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