Meaning & use
Calaboose
Last updated
An informal term for a jail or prison, especially a small local one.
See it in a sentence
The sheriff tossed the troublemaker in the calaboose for the night.
In the old Western town, the calaboose had only two cells.
A note on using this word
Borrowed from the Spanish "calabozo," meaning "dungeon," the word entered American English through Louisiana and the American South.
Words with a similar meaning
jaillockup
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