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Synonyms

juvie

American  
[joo-vee] / ˈdʒu vi /

noun

Slang.

  1. a juvenile, especially a juvenile delinquent.

  2. juvenile court.

  3. juvenile detention center.

Etymology

Origin of juvie

First recorded in 1940–45; by shortening and alteration

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I’m from St. Louis. I ain’t ever been to juvie a day in my life.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

How does someone go from a warden at juvie to being lieutenant governor?

From The Guardian • Apr. 12, 2016

Creed begins in 1998, when Adonis Creed is an adolescent in juvie with a natural talent for taking on kids twice his size.

From Slate • Nov. 24, 2015

I wonder if he has been to juvie before, but decide I don’t really care.

From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2012

Two and a half years in juvie didn’t sound generous to Sara, but it probably wasn’t much worse than her last few foster homes.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.