tolbooth

noun

ˈtō(l)-ˌbüth How to pronounce tolbooth (audio)
Definition of tolboothnext
Scottish
as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody Deacon Brodie, thought to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, was publicly hung at the site of the old tolbooth of Edinburgh

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tolbooth
  1. jail
  2. prison
  3. penitentiary
  4. brig
Noun
  • Guillen-Molina was being held in the Jackson County jail on a $200,000 cash-only bond.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Nantambu spent a month in a Middle Eastern jail before proving that Brown lied.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of jail
Noun
  • Federal probation officials are recommending 24 months in prison.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Unflinching, the documentary does not shy away from addressing the critics’ panning of much of McCartney’s solo work, the murder of John Lennon, his brief stint in a Japanese prison and his bold choice to sue the Beatles.
    — Kristin Robinson, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of prison
Noun
  • Ker’Sean Ramey, 41, is set to die by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • LeJames Norman, 40, was put to death by lethal injection Wednesday at the state penitentiary in Huntsville.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of penitentiary
Noun
  • Cruise ships have brigs – or onboard jails – where they may be held, or they could be confined to their cabins, The Points Guy reported.
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 15 July 2026
  • Word around baseball is all the losing has turned the Mets clubhouse, which has already been fractured these past couple years, into a joyless brig.
    — Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026
Definition of brig
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Tolbooth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tolbooth. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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