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
In 1933 the Department of Justice turned it into a federal penitentiary for prisoners considered especially violent or unmanageable.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiary
Noun
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Or worse, to turn it into a sort of prison sentence.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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The rights lawyer fainted twice in prison on Friday in the northwestern city of Zanjan, her foundation said, and was admitted to a local hospital.—
Adam Schreck,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
Noun
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Mueller, whom Northside ISD placed on leave, remained in the Bexar County jail on $95,000 bail and faced up to life in prison if convicted.—
JJ Velasquez,
San Antonio Express-News,
3 May 2026
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Mengtong / China News Service/VCG via Getty Images The restrictions have prevented Allen from communicating with anyone besides his legal team, as well as accessing the commissary or resources such as jail tablets, the filing states.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiary. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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