CALABOOSE Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

calaboose

noun

ˈka-lə-ˌbüs

Definition of calaboose

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

outside

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for calaboose

Noun

He was given an option to bypass jail by paying a $250 fine and providing the filings within a week.

— Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2026
Castro was released from a Texas jail last week after a judge declined to order his return to Minnesota.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of jail

Noun

Beginning in 1908, after federal prisons opened in Atlanta, Georgia, and Leavenworth, Kansas, most federal prisoners were sent to these new federal prisons, and cells began to empty at the West Virginia state penitentiary.

— Ella Siegrist, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026
Recent spike in inmate deaths at the penitentiary In fiscal year 2025 – July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025 – the DOC reported 19 deaths within its annual report, the most in a decade.

— TJ Rhodes, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of penitentiary

Noun

The jury did convict Rosado of driving under the influence and he was sentenced to five years in prison, but Rosado has been behind bars on a $2 million bail since 2021 so won't have to serve any additional time.

— Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
Over the course of Exile, one of Loktev’s subjects is poisoned; another receives a five-year prison sentence in absentia.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of prison

Browse Nearby Words

caking

calaboose

calabooses

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Calaboose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calaboose. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of calaboose

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

matriculate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes