Alcatraz

[ al-kuh-traz ]

/ ˈæl kəˌtræz /

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noun

a small island in W California, in San Francisco Bay: site of a U.S. penitentiary 1933–63.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Words nearby Alcatraz

Alcamo, Alcandre, Alcan Highway, Alcántara, Alcathous, Alcatraz, alcayde, Alcázar, Alcazar de San Juan, Alceste, Alcestis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Alcatraz in a sentence

Of the possessions the family plans to auction off, she said she’s most attached to a poetic three-page letter her grandfather wrote to her father from Alcatraz.
Mobster Al Capone’s granddaughters are selling his possessions, partly out of fear of wildfires|Marisa Iati|August 25, 2021|Washington Post
The government made it legal to withhold rations from families that refused to part with their children, and some parents were even jailed in high-security prisons such as San Francisco’s Alcatraz.
Hey, Teacher! Indigenous School Wrongs Are Global|Kate Bartlett|June 23, 2021|Ozy
As a result, Yozgad was considered escape-proof, the Alcatraz of its day.
How Two WWI POWs Conned Their Way Out With a Ouija Board|Margalit Fox|May 31, 2021|The Daily Beast
Their father, Ross Ehlinger, died in 2013 at age 46 while competing in an “Escape from Alcatraz” triathlon in San Francisco.
Police say Texas’s Jake Ehlinger, brother of former QB Sam Ehlinger, found dead in Austin|Des Bieler|May 7, 2021|Washington Post

Mostly because Oye, This Cell Is Drafty had already been used for Escape From Alcatraz, years before.
20 Things You Didn’t Know About 'The Shawshank Redemption'|Bill Schulz|August 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Alcatraz had its birdman, and Greenhaven had one too; a real connoisseur.
Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison|Daniel Genis|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You see, gone are the days when a supernatural dramas like Lost or its rip-offs Alcatraz, Invasion, or The River dominated TV.
‘Resurrection’ Is TV’s Silliest Show and Probably Dead on Arrival|Kevin Fallon|March 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Alcatraz and Terra Nova did not live past 13 episodes and Fringe had to fight to make to it to five seasons.
‘Almost Human’ Review: A Dystopian Future That We’ve Seen Before|Chancellor Agard|November 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When you use an example, you can use the word AS, and AT tells you where, such as "At Alcatraz."
National Scrabble Day: A Poem So You’ll Know All 101 Two-Letter Words|David Bukszpan|April 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Drifts of fog hung plume-like over Alcatraz, veiled the Exposition domes and turrets in a mystic glory.
Port O' Gold|Louis John Stellman
The ferry boat was passing Alcatraz now, and the populace had turned its attention away from Harry Banks and his party.
The Readjustment|Will Irwin
We also learned from him that the military prisoners had been released from Alcatraz Island because they could no longer be fed.
The Strength of the Strong|Jack London
But I saw the lights of Alcatraz where Ernest lay, and found comfort in the thought of nearness to him.
The Iron Heel|Jack London
The muskets of the sentries gleamed brightly on Alcatraz, and the rolling of drums swelled on the breeze.
Legends and Tales|Bret Harte

British Dictionary definitions for Alcatraz

Alcatraz

/ (ˈælkəˌtræz) /

noun

an island in W California, in San Francisco Bay: a federal prison until 1963

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012