as in jails
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 tolbooths
Noun
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Like jails across the country, staffing shortages have persisted under Sheriff Brown’s tenure, and the department spent more than $73 million on overtime for employees over the past three years.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026 -
Sheriff Robert Luna has asked the National Institute of Corrections to examine conditions and practices at Los Angeles County jails, a request made after 10 inmates died in jail custody in less than three months.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Deihl, who has worked in Michigan prisons for 15 years, says staffing shortages are creating increasingly unsafe conditions for officers.—
Lauren Winfrey,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
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The ratio of officers to inmates at state prisons is still too low.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Behind bars in state penitentiaries in Gatesville and Marlin, Mejia felt forgotten.—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
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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
Noun
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Wooden signs dot roadsides advertising homes from the $300,000s for a townhome to over $1 million for big houses in the most desirable suburban neighborhoods.—
Jonathan J. Cooper,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Thank goodness for wealthy people and their big houses.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
7 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Tolbooths.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tolbooths. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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