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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Householder is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2023 of orchestrating the scheme, which FirstEnergy has admitted to underwriting.—
Julie Carr Smyth,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Ware is being held at the Clay County Detention Center while awaiting trial, and his escape resulted in an additional charge of felony prison breach and escape, jail records show.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Since then, at least 34 municipalities in Illinois have passed anti-camping ordinances with enforceable fines and jail time.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Ware is being held at the Clay County Detention Center while awaiting trial, and his escape resulted in an additional charge of felony prison breach and escape, jail records show.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiary. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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