as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
fittingly, the calaboose in that one-horse town consisted of a single cell
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Recent Examples of calaboose
Heritage Village includes an 1881 two-cell calaboose from Mokena, the 1856 Wells Corner one-room schoolhouse from Homer Glen, the 1863 Greenho farmhouse from Crest Hill, the 1881 Wabash railroad depot from Symerton and a Lockport smokehouse.
—
Jessi Virtusio,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2022
Lachenais was arrested and secured in the local calaboose, but a vigilance committee descended upon the jail and tore Lachenais out of his cell.
—
Yxta Maya Murray,
Longreads,
19 Aug. 2020
All Chenneville had to do was ride up on his horse, remove the smoking gun or bloody knife from the killer's hand, and drag him to the calaboose—the local jail, which was just down the hall from the police department.
—
Skip Hollandsworth,
Esquire,
5 Apr. 2016
Jessi Virtusio,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2022
Lachenais was arrested and secured in the local calaboose, but a vigilance committee descended upon the jail and tore Lachenais out of his cell.
—
Yxta Maya Murray,
Longreads,
19 Aug. 2020
All Chenneville had to do was ride up on his horse, remove the smoking gun or bloody knife from the killer's hand, and drag him to the calaboose—the local jail, which was just down the hall from the police department.
—
Skip Hollandsworth,
Esquire,
5 Apr. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calaboose
Noun
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Concern arose that Orange was going to be taken out of the jail and lynched.
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Vanity Fair reported that he was sentenced to 60 days in jail after being convicted of misdemeanor battery against a girlfriend, and was later charged with battering his third wife, Joanna Ferrell.
Noun
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Two years ago, a judge freed Anthony Bailey after 27 years in the federal penitentiary, giving him a second chance at life.
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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.
Noun
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Given the cameras in the courtroom, his defense argued – much like lawyers have in Tyler Robinson’s case in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk – that his appearance in shackles and a prison outfit could influence potential jurors.
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Later, Simpson served nine years in prison after being convicted on unrelated charges.
Cite this Entry
“Calaboose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calaboose. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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