penitentiary
noun
a place for imprisonment, reformatory discipline, or punishment, especially a prison maintained in the U.S. by a state or the federal government for serious offenders.
penitentiaries
-
pluralof penitentiary.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
They are now serving life terms at federal penitentiaries at Victorville and Atwater, Calif.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2025
Still, Mr Ramey said the low pay is more than a California prisoner would otherwise earn performing jobs in the state penitentiaries.
From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2025
Time served for the state convictions will run at the same time as the federal sentences, and the men will serve their time in federal penitentiaries.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 9, 2024
According to the Prison Policy Initiative, more than 1 million people are held in state penitentiaries, of which 71% will be re-arrested within three to five years after committing additional offenses.
From Reuters ● Aug. 2, 2023
That has been true since penitentiaries first opened in America.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
