as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
were amazed by the squalid, cramped quarters in the town's historic bastille
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Recent Examples of bastille
For his part, Bowie celebrated the election by joining forces with John Barleycorn and evicting the residents of the local bastille.
—
Robert Kolarik, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Feb. 2018
In these wet, wooden bastilles in New York waters, more Americans died than in all the battles of the Revolutionary War combined.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Smithsonian, 13 Mar. 2017
Robert Kolarik, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Feb. 2018
In these wet, wooden bastilles in New York waters, more Americans died than in all the battles of the Revolutionary War combined.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Smithsonian, 13 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastille
Noun
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To get there, Sodais climbed mountains in the snow, moved from border to border with the help of smugglers, got captured a dozen times and spent time in jail.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
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Ábalos, who spent seven months in jail before his trial in April, is accused of taking kickbacks from the purchase of $60 million-worth of facemasks during the Covid pandemic.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
Noun
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If convicted as charged, Wilburn faces up to 14 years in prison, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office told CNN.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
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Pope was a lieutenant in the Special Investigative Service (SIS) unit at the prison at the time of the offenses.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
Noun
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After a federal jury voted to convict him in early 2024, Hernández was sent to a notorious high-security penitentiary in West Virginia to serve his time.—
Keri Blakinger,
ProPublica,
11 June 2026
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Mike Braun opened the Speedway Slammer at an Indiana prison, Jim Pillen opened the Cornhusker Clink at a Nebraska work camp, and Jeff Landry opened the Louisiana Lockup in a disused wing of Angola penitentiary.—
Eric Schlosser,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bastille.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastille. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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