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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According to county jail records, Sutherland was arrested shortly after midnight Monday morning, with bail set at $50,000.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
14 Jan. 2026
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Arechiga did not enter a plea at his arraignment Monday in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The big difference between Lamb’s experience and that of some current staff members at the penitentiary is that prison jobs didn’t go to teenagers at the time in Illinois.—
John Hult,
States Newsroom,
23 Jan. 2026
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On Monday, Venezuela's penitentiary authority said that 116 people had been freed.—
Reuters,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Department of Justice said Steven Anthony Cowles, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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The two counts of second-degree assault could carry up to seven years in prison each, if convicted.—
PJ Green
January 7,
Kansas City Star,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Calaboose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calaboose. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
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