as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
they ended up in the hoosegow for disorderly conduct
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hoosegow
Every day at the high security hoosegow holds the possibility of turmoil and violence.
—
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2025
Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park Carved from granite cliffs overlooking the Colorado River, Yuma Prison was the Old West’s most notorious hoosegow, garnering a fearsome reputation.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 1 Jan. 2025
In prison, there are Keene’s encounters with a real-life mob boss and a manipulative guard to add tension, and just enough mayhem to remind you that this is no ordinary hoosegow.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2022
Most famously, in 1968 Johnny Cash serenaded state inmates at the max-security Folsom Prison in California, later turning the hoosegow act into a live album titled At Folsom Prison.
—Keri Blakinger, Houston Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2019
Carved from a granite cliff overlooking the Colorado River, this was America’s most notorious 19th century hoosegow.
—Roger Naylor, azcentral, 4 Oct. 2019
And Blankenship has charged that Manchin, who was governor at the time of the mine explosion, conspired with Barack Obama (not a popular figure in West Virginia) to send him to the hoosegow.
—Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, 20 Mar. 2018
Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2025
Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park Carved from granite cliffs overlooking the Colorado River, Yuma Prison was the Old West’s most notorious hoosegow, garnering a fearsome reputation.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 1 Jan. 2025
In prison, there are Keene’s encounters with a real-life mob boss and a manipulative guard to add tension, and just enough mayhem to remind you that this is no ordinary hoosegow.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2022
Most famously, in 1968 Johnny Cash serenaded state inmates at the max-security Folsom Prison in California, later turning the hoosegow act into a live album titled At Folsom Prison.
—Keri Blakinger, Houston Chronicle, 15 Nov. 2019
Carved from a granite cliff overlooking the Colorado River, this was America’s most notorious 19th century hoosegow.
—Roger Naylor, azcentral, 4 Oct. 2019
And Blankenship has charged that Manchin, who was governor at the time of the mine explosion, conspired with Barack Obama (not a popular figure in West Virginia) to send him to the hoosegow.
—Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, 20 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoosegow
Noun
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Moore said that while any and all legal options will be considered, the group's main focus will be on advocacy for pretrial services and other programming that can keep people out of jail.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Nov. 2025
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The amendment would reallocate $570,965 from the capital budget for camera replacements at the Criminal Justice Facility, which houses the county jail.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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This was also when a torture scandal emerged at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison.—
Ben Wedeman,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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Though there’s no new material in the reissue, reheating her own nachos for a new generation should be a piece of cake for Martha Stewart, who allegedly made flan in prison one time.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Meanwhile, his crooked sidekick, Robertson, BOP # 21731-509, is locked up in another good-time penitentiary in Beckley, WV.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
29 Oct. 2025
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Portlaoise Prison, which is in the center of Ireland, is a nineteenth-century penitentiary built like a fortress—a one-star establishment, at best.—
Ed Caesar,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hoosegow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoosegow. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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