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
While Owsley stewed in a federal penitentiary, Cargill and Rhoney would take turns bringing the newborns to meet their dad.
—
John Semley, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025
Barnes, 67, was convicted and sentenced to 21 years in a Russian penitentiary in February 2024.
—Tanya Stukalova, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2025
The first penitentiaries weren’t built until the late 1700s, so more extreme sentences were deemed necessary to prevent discord.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2025
At the time of the crime, Hoffman was 18 and has since spent much of his adult life at the penitentiary in rural southeast Louisiana, where he was executed Tuesday evening.
—arkansasonline.com, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
John Semley, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025
Barnes, 67, was convicted and sentenced to 21 years in a Russian penitentiary in February 2024.
—Tanya Stukalova, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2025
The first penitentiaries weren’t built until the late 1700s, so more extreme sentences were deemed necessary to prevent discord.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2025
At the time of the crime, Hoffman was 18 and has since spent much of his adult life at the penitentiary in rural southeast Louisiana, where he was executed Tuesday evening.
—arkansasonline.com, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiary
Noun
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In June 2024, three people were sentenced to eight months in prison after being found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius Jr in that May 2023 match at Valencia.—
Colin Millar,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
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In that case, Douglas was sentenced to five years of probation and had his 2-year prison sentence stayed, court documents say.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Seven inmates are still at large on May 19 after escaping from a New Orleans jail through a hole behind a toilet.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
20 May 2025
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The attack lands him behind bars, not for the first time, with his seven-month jail stint an interstice covered by the first of Dickinson’s vertiginous reality-break sequences.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiary. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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