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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That included branding civil rights advocacy and speech defamatory, a breach of the peace, or hate speech, and hauling activists into courts and jails.—
Time,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
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He is being held without bail at the El Dorado County jail, records show.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The story would feature voluminous evidence, including Salvadoran intelligence reports, government documents and even prison logs recording the visits of Luna and other Bukele aides to MS-13 leaders.—
T. Christian Miller,
ProPublica,
30 Sep. 2025
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Both Menendez brothers remain in prison after having been denied parole in August of this year, and, in September, a judge denied their petition for a new trial.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In 2005, the penitentiary was downgraded to medium security, and its name changed to the Federal Correctional Institution.—
Randy Mason,
Kansas City Star,
17 Sep. 2025
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Arcángela and Serafina remain in the women’s penitentiary, continuing to operate illicit businesses and accumulating wealth, but without hope of freedom.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bastille.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bastille. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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