as in prisons
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
a sentence in the state penitentiary for robbery
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Recent Examples of penitentiaries
The wave of prison violence is happening despite the deployment of military and police forces in several penitentiaries.
—
Michael Rios, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025
After his conviction, Gray was sent to Angola, one of the most violent penitentiaries in the country at the time.
—Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2025
Michael Rios, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025
After his conviction, Gray was sent to Angola, one of the most violent penitentiaries in the country at the time.
—Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiaries
Noun
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The request comes as the state's prisons are overflowing with inmates, and the department is over budget by millions of dollars.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
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More than a quarter also have no criminal connection to Minnesota except for being held in one of the state's four federal prisons.—
Deena Winter The Minnesota Star Tribune,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The group said federal immigration officials were sending detainees from the Whipple building to Minnesota county jails, according to a letter sent to the federal government requesting the name change.—
Elise Hammond,
CNN Money,
23 Jan. 2026
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One allows corrections officers at local jails to flag a noncitizen who is arrested to ICE and detain them for 48 hours.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiaries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiaries. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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