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
On top of her one-year sentence on obscenity charges, Adams was sentenced to six months at a women’s penitentiary—a pair of punishments that allowed authorities to start considering whether to ship her back to Poland upon her release from prison.
—
Kellie B. Gormly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025
These inmates come from every BOP security level from minimum security campers to those coming from high security U.S. penitentiaries.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
The Torchlight Tour at Fremantle Prison takes visitors into the cells, tunnels, and courtyards of the prison, all by handheld light, with guides recounting the stories of those imprisoned in the 19th-century penitentiary.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2025
But their attempts to address more fundamental corruption backfire; many interpret their pragmatic cooperation with the government as carrying water for Juan Orlando Hernández, a strongman president later exposed as a drug trafficker who is now serving a 45-year sentence in a U.S. penitentiary.
—Katherine Corcoran, New York Times, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Kellie B. Gormly, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025
These inmates come from every BOP security level from minimum security campers to those coming from high security U.S. penitentiaries.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
The Torchlight Tour at Fremantle Prison takes visitors into the cells, tunnels, and courtyards of the prison, all by handheld light, with guides recounting the stories of those imprisoned in the 19th-century penitentiary.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2025
But their attempts to address more fundamental corruption backfire; many interpret their pragmatic cooperation with the government as carrying water for Juan Orlando Hernández, a strongman president later exposed as a drug trafficker who is now serving a 45-year sentence in a U.S. penitentiary.
—Katherine Corcoran, New York Times, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for penitentiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penitentiary
Noun
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Administration officials flaunted court orders by deporting immigrants to a Salvadoran prison.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
6 July 2025
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An ex-con who went to prison for shooting a teenager to death during a birthday party went on to go into business as a gun trafficker in Queens after his release on parole, federal prosecutors say.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
6 July 2025
Noun
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Following Shelia's arrest, she was held in jail without bail, per MetroNews.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
6 July 2025
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On June 23, 2012, the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, convicted Chávez of the offense of driving under the influence of alcohol and sentenced him to 13 days in jail and 36 months’ probation.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penitentiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penitentiary. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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