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
Richard Lee Tabler, 46, was given a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.
—
Jim Vertuno and Michael Graczyk, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2025
Jesperson, who is currently serving life without parole at an Oregon penitentiary, murdered at least eight women in the United States during the 1990s.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025
In 2015, Ulbricht was handed a life sentence for his involvement in the enterprise and is currently incarcerated at a high-security penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona.
—Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025
Ultimately, Hazzard was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to perform hard labor at a state penitentiary in Walla Walla, Wash.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Jim Vertuno and Michael Graczyk, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2025
Jesperson, who is currently serving life without parole at an Oregon penitentiary, murdered at least eight women in the United States during the 1990s.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025
In 2015, Ulbricht was handed a life sentence for his involvement in the enterprise and is currently incarcerated at a high-security penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona.
—Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025
Ultimately, Hazzard was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to perform hard labor at a state penitentiary in Walla Walla, Wash.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiary
Noun
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Life without parole for Highland Park shooter The man who killed seven people and wounded nearly 50 in a mass shooting in 2022 in Highland Park, Illinois, was sentenced April 24 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
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Petties was sentenced to life in prison in 2013 at age 36 for his trafficking career and connection to multiple homicides.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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More than 21,000 people died in local jails and state prisons in four years, according to records the government has hidden from public view since 2021.—
Gina Barton,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
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David Castro, with a long history of drug use, has been in Santa Clara County jail awaiting trial since he was arrested in 2023.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiary. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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