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
The big difference between Lamb’s experience and that of some current staff members at the penitentiary is that prison jobs didn’t go to teenagers at the time in Illinois.
—
John Hult, States Newsroom, 23 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
John Hult, States Newsroom, 23 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiary
Noun
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He was charged with sedition and sent to a federal prison in North Dakota.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Harrell left the band the following year and was sentenced to two years in prison in 2015.—
Jim Beaugez,
Rolling Stone,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The woman’s name will be released after she is identified by the coroner, and the suspect’s name after he is booked into jail, the department said.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
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The Prince George’s County Department of Corrections held a baptism service for the first time in its history at the jail in Upper Marlboro.—
Jasmine Golden,
Washington Post,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiary. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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