as in jail
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
fittingly, the calaboose in that one-horse town consisted of a single cell
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Recent Examples of calaboose
Heritage Village includes an 1881 two-cell calaboose from Mokena, the 1856 Wells Corner one-room schoolhouse from Homer Glen, the 1863 Greenho farmhouse from Crest Hill, the 1881 Wabash railroad depot from Symerton and a Lockport smokehouse.
—
Jessi Virtusio, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2022
Lachenais was arrested and secured in the local calaboose, but a vigilance committee descended upon the jail and tore Lachenais out of his cell.
—Yxta Maya Murray, Longreads, 19 Aug. 2020
Brooks was escorted to the calaboose and thrown into the main holding tank with the other prisoners.
—Skip Hollandsworth, Esquire, 5 Apr. 2016
All Chenneville had to do was ride up on his horse, remove the smoking gun or bloody knife from the killer's hand, and drag him to the calaboose—the local jail, which was just down the hall from the police department.
—Skip Hollandsworth, Esquire, 5 Apr. 2016
Jessi Virtusio, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2022
Lachenais was arrested and secured in the local calaboose, but a vigilance committee descended upon the jail and tore Lachenais out of his cell.
—Yxta Maya Murray, Longreads, 19 Aug. 2020
Brooks was escorted to the calaboose and thrown into the main holding tank with the other prisoners.
—Skip Hollandsworth, Esquire, 5 Apr. 2016
All Chenneville had to do was ride up on his horse, remove the smoking gun or bloody knife from the killer's hand, and drag him to the calaboose—the local jail, which was just down the hall from the police department.
—Skip Hollandsworth, Esquire, 5 Apr. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calaboose
Noun
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Trumbo and [novelists] Howard Fast and Dashiell Hammett went to jail.—
Sara Georgini,
Smithsonian Magazine,
1 Apr. 2025
-
He’s gone after organizations like Special Olympics and the Brevard Zoo with threats of funding cuts, sponsored legislation that could land public officials in jail for doing their jobs and pursued petty personal vendettas.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The money will help sustain El Salvador’s penitentiary system, which currently costs $200 million a year.—
Michael Rios,
CNN,
17 Mar. 2025
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In Oklahoma, 56-year-old Wendell Grissom was declared dead by lethal injection at the penitentiary in McAlester at 10:13 a.m.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Sign up for the 12:30 Report newsletter That includes a recent ruling from U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg temporarily blocking the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans to a prison in El Salvador.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
1 Apr. 2025
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He's scored early victories in getting Latin American countries to cooperate on deportation flights, including a high-profile prison deal with El Salvador.—
Dave Lawler,
Axios,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Calaboose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calaboose. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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