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Synonyms

loony bin

American  

noun

Informal.

  1. an insane asylum or the psychiatric ward of a hospital.

loony bin British  

noun

  1. slang a mental hospital or asylum

"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

Etymology

Origin of loony bin

First recorded in 1880–85

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.

The poor guy hasn’t been able to distinguish truth from fiction lately, even checking himself into the loony bin for fear that he’s coming unglued and needs professional help.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2015

I needed to bond with another animal — someone I could part with, if necessary, without landing in the loony bin.

From Time • Nov. 29, 2014

Take that and add the loony bin, you get a strangely non-literary response.

From Slate • Mar. 5, 2014

Whether I’m ready for the loony bin or not is beside the point.”

From New York Times • Dec. 10, 2010

But then again, I’m already in the loony bin; how practical am I going to get?

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

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.