pokeys

noun

plural of pokey, slang
as in penitentiaries
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody joked about the time he passed out on the street and woke up in the pokey

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pokeys
  1. penitentiaries
  2. jails
  3. prisons
  4. brigs
Noun
  • Hodge says he was abused in multiple federal penitentiaries, but was frequently blocked from filing complaints about it.
    — Christie Thompson, NPR, 13 July 2026
  • This includes providing the Colombian military more leeway in the field, signing a new security agreement with Washington and building 10 mega-prisons that mimic Bukele’s network of penitentiaries in El Salvador.
    — Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
Definition of penitentiaries
Noun
  • Reports also describe people in prisons and jails around the country being routinely beaten, among other abuse.
    — Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Several other contractors’ jails and treatment centers across the state are referenced by name in the lawsuit.
    — Paige Pfleger, ProPublica, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of jails
Noun
  • Reports also describe people in prisons and jails around the country being routinely beaten, among other abuse.
    — Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The lawsuit over healthcare for incarcerated people covers Arizona’s nine state-run prisons but not the nearly 10,000 Arizona inmates held in private prisons.
    — Jacques Billeaud, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of prisons
Noun
  • Cruise ships have brigs – or onboard jails – where they may be held, or they could be confined to their cabins, The Points Guy reported.
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 15 July 2026
Definition of brigs
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.

Browse Nearby Words

pokey
pokeys
pokily
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Cite this Entry

“Pokeys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pokeys. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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