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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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
Her ex — still in the hoosegow in Los Angeles — was tried and sentenced to a two-year stretch at San Quentin.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2022
From 1868 to 1890, legend says Wickenburg scofflaws were chained to a mesquite tree that served as the town hoosegow.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 28 Nov. 2020
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
Her ex — still in the hoosegow in Los Angeles — was tried and sentenced to a two-year stretch at San Quentin.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2022
From 1868 to 1890, legend says Wickenburg scofflaws were chained to a mesquite tree that served as the town hoosegow.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 28 Nov. 2020
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
-
The Associated Press in 2021 investigated how the technology landed a Chicago grandfather in jail after it was used as evidence to charge him with murder, with a judge later dismissing the case due to insufficient evidence.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Last year, Estrada was already in county jail for unrelated reasons when he was arrested on suspicion of Coriz’s murder.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
He was sentenced to a term of five months to 20 years in prison and ordered to be removed to Laos in 2007.—
Niraj Warikoo,
Freep.com,
9 Aug. 2025
-
After pleading guilty, Lewis was sentenced to 2½ years in prison in addition to a no-contact order that bans him from Fever games and facilities.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
At the beloved attraction in San Francisco Bay, visitors could scarcely believe President Trump had suggested turning Alcatraz back into a penitentiary.—
Heather Knight,
New York Times,
6 May 2025
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In the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, a Russian glide bomb attack on a local penitentiary killed 17 inmates and wounded more than 80 others in one of the deadliest strikes in the region to date.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hoosegow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoosegow. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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