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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After 24 years in prison, Anderson was released on parole in 2023.—
Erin Moriarty, Liza Finley,
CBS News,
4 May 2025
-
He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
3 May 2025
Noun
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Some former members of the fraternity were sentenced to several days in jail for providing alcohol at an initiation event to a minor, and Washington State University removed official recognition of the fraternity until May 2026.—
Alisha Ebrahimji,
CNN Money,
3 May 2025
-
He was convicted and died in jail while awaiting sentencing in 2023.—
Eric Shawn,
FOXNews.com,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiary. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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