bastille

noun

ba-ˈstēl How to pronounce bastille (audio)
Definition of bastillenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bastille
  1. jail
  2. prison
  3. penitentiary
Noun
  • Trump had called for the leakers to face long-term jail sentences.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • In 2024, Indonesia revised its anti-wildlife trafficking law to bring in stricter fines and longer jail sentences.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of jail
Noun
  • The 911 call recordings, as reported by the Associated Press, showed that first responders and prison officials did not know whether a request for emergency help from within the execution chamber was legitimate.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Eady-Williams sentenced Pham and Salerno to life in prison without possibility of parole for the murder charges.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of prison
Noun
  • Mexico has 276 prisons, including 14 federal penitentiaries and 249 state prisons.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Prisoners from this penitentiary were enlisted to help build the state’s capitol building just a few miles away in downtown Boise.
    — Mindy Sink, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of penitentiary

Browse Nearby Words

bastes
bastille
bastilles
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Cite this Entry

“Bastille.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastille. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on bastille

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bastille

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