as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
joked about the time he passed out on the street and woke up in the pokey
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Recent Examples of pokey
Thirty-three years since its founder began cutting up fabrics in a pokey South London flat, the house of McQueen’s headquarters now inhabit a six-story, 30,000-square-foot building in London’s Clerkenwell.
—
Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2024
This pokey lime green plant is a bit of a chameleon, changing colour when stressed by lack of water or bad weather.
—Katy Kelleher, refinery29.com, 29 July 2024
Calvin Klein’s racerback bralette is made from ultra-soft and stretch-infused cotton for optimal breathability, and it’s designed without pokey underwires, too.
—Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 27 July 2024
The Embraceable Bra provides the support of underwire cups without an uncomfortably firm or pokey feeling.
—Theresa Holland, Travel + Leisure, 15 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for pokey
Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2024
This pokey lime green plant is a bit of a chameleon, changing colour when stressed by lack of water or bad weather.
—Katy Kelleher, refinery29.com, 29 July 2024
Calvin Klein’s racerback bralette is made from ultra-soft and stretch-infused cotton for optimal breathability, and it’s designed without pokey underwires, too.
—Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 27 July 2024
The Embraceable Bra provides the support of underwire cups without an uncomfortably firm or pokey feeling.
—Theresa Holland, Travel + Leisure, 15 Dec. 2023
See All Example Sentences for pokey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pokey
Noun
-
Following Shelia's arrest, she was held in jail without bail, per MetroNews.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
6 July 2025
-
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
Noun
-
If convicted, the charges carry sentences that could send her to prison for years.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
6 July 2025
-
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
-
Her various occupations, paid and unpaid, included teaching convicts at an area penitentiary and substitute-teaching in junior high.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 June 2025
-
At the beloved attraction in San Francisco Bay, visitors could scarcely believe Trump had suggested turning Alcatraz back into a penitentiary.—
Heather Knight,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pokey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pokey. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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