Meaning & use
hoosegow
Last updated
A jail, especially in old-fashioned American slang.
See it in a sentence
The old prospector spent a night in the hoosegow for disorderly conduct.
He joked that one more speeding ticket would land him in the hoosegow.
A note on using this word
Hoosegow entered American English from the Spanish "juzgado," meaning "courtroom" or "tribunal."
Words with a similar meaning
jailclink
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hoosegow”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.