as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
the captain ordered that the prisoner be thrown into the brig immediately
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Recent Examples of brig
Rare photos showcase the quirky spot where mock battles were staged while female patrons were abducted and held in the brig to see who could scream the loudest — highly inappropriate by today’s standards.
—
Pat Saperstein, Variety, 28 June 2024
It’s believed the 124-foot ship is a schooner or brig built in the mid-19th century, with its hull sheathed in copper.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 20 June 2024
The few sailors who were responding to Brooks’ commands climbed aloft to square the yards so that the brig could run toward land.
—Eric Jay Dolin, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 May 2024
The government held both Padilla and al-Marri in a Navy brig to keep them out of civilian custody.
—Brian Michael Jenkins, Foreign Affairs, 1 Feb. 2012
See All Example Sentences for brig
Pat Saperstein, Variety, 28 June 2024
It’s believed the 124-foot ship is a schooner or brig built in the mid-19th century, with its hull sheathed in copper.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 20 June 2024
The few sailors who were responding to Brooks’ commands climbed aloft to square the yards so that the brig could run toward land.
—Eric Jay Dolin, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 May 2024
The government held both Padilla and al-Marri in a Navy brig to keep them out of civilian custody.
—Brian Michael Jenkins, Foreign Affairs, 1 Feb. 2012
See All Example Sentences for brig
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brig
Noun
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Key Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa was arrested by heavily armed men on Sunday night, his supporters said, just hours after he had been released from a jail where he was held as a political prisoner.—
Diego Mendoza,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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His co-defendants received jail terms between 6¼ years and 10 years.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Given his age, the prison term still could keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Hong Kong — Former Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, ending a years-long legal battle that has come to define Beijing’s transformational crackdown on the once-freewheeling financial hub.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Author Ta-Nehisi Coates, an 8-year-old in West Baltimore at the time of the murder, offers piercing commentary on the impact of both the initial crime and the succeeding one, the grievously unjust trial that put three kids in the penitentiary.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Jan. 2026
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Central Time Wednesday following a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brig.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brig. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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