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Leavenworth

American  
[lev-uhn-wurth, -werth] / ˈlɛv ənˌwɜrθ, -wərθ /

noun

  1. a city in NE Kansas.

  2. a federal and military prison there.

Leavenworth British  
/ ˈlɛvənˌwɜːθ, -wəθ /

noun

  1. a city in NE Kansas, on the Missouri River: the state's oldest city, founded in 1854 by proslavery settlers from Missouri. Pop: 35 211 (2003 est)

"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

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.

“That’s unheard of,” said Dayton Vesey, 30, surveying empty seating from behind the counter at Leavenworth Sausage Garten.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

Among the facilities being eyed is one in the prison town of Leavenworth, Kan. A judge once called the former prison there owned by CoreCivic a “hell hole.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2025

The directive had come from the Pentagon, and filtered down through her chain of command at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2025

In 1955, there was an outbreak at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, when I was in the second grade.

From Salon • Nov. 5, 2024

The U.S. assistant attorney general, who oversaw the federal prison system, had asked White if he would take over as warden of Leavenworth prison, in Kansas.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

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.