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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
-
He will be transferred to the county jail once he is released from the hospital.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Jackson was not listed on the Pulaski County jail's roster Sunday night.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Oscar Wilde was not the only Irishman locked up in an English prison to draw Proust’s attention.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
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Nguyen pleaded guilty last year to a felony charge and multiple misdemeanors and is now serving a seven-year prison sentence, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Central Time Wednesday following a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoosegow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoosegow. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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