as in prison
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 penitentiary
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
On Monday, Venezuela's penitentiary authority said that 116 people had been freed.
—Reuters, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
Williams developed the lead that convinced LAPD detectives to head to an Oklahoma penitentiary in search of answers from their new suspect, DarraLynn Madden.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
In mid-November, DOJ officials also responded, noting that the state penitentiary had been on lockdown only a total of about 17 days since late May, based on information provided by prison officials.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
John Hult, States Newsroom, 23 Jan. 2026
On Monday, Venezuela's penitentiary authority said that 116 people had been freed.
—Reuters, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
Williams developed the lead that convinced LAPD detectives to head to an Oklahoma penitentiary in search of answers from their new suspect, DarraLynn Madden.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
In mid-November, DOJ officials also responded, noting that the state penitentiary had been on lockdown only a total of about 17 days since late May, based on information provided by prison officials.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiary
Noun
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In 2023, Jalloh was sentenced to seven years in prison for malicious wounding, with five of those years suspended.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
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Now, the man responsible is set to spend more than six decades in prison, according to Adams County court records.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In terms of refusal rate, Fairfax County trailed slightly behind all of the top non-cooperating jails in Los Angeles County combined, according to the detainer data.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
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The suspect, Mariana Noriega, 23, was taken to the Maricopa County jail.—
Sydney Page The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiary. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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