as in jail
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
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Recent Examples of pokey
Calvin Klein’s racerback bralette is made from ultra-soft and stretch-infused cotton for optimal breathability, and it’s designed without pokey underwires, too.
—
Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 27 July 2024
One reason entanglement is exciting is the potential to drive quantum computers that make today's best look pokey by comparison, like so:
Quantum computers exploit the inherent uncertainties of quantum physics to perform calculations much faster than computers currently in use.
—Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
The Embraceable Bra provides the support of underwire cups without an uncomfortably firm or pokey feeling.
—Theresa Holland, Travel + Leisure, 15 Dec. 2023
Dropping the hammer from a stop gets it to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds, which opens plenty of opportunities for maneuvering around traffic's pokey dullards.
—Austin Irwin, Car and Driver, 31 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for pokey
Emily Weaver, Peoplemag, 27 July 2024
One reason entanglement is exciting is the potential to drive quantum computers that make today's best look pokey by comparison, like so:
Quantum computers exploit the inherent uncertainties of quantum physics to perform calculations much faster than computers currently in use.
—Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019
The Embraceable Bra provides the support of underwire cups without an uncomfortably firm or pokey feeling.
—Theresa Holland, Travel + Leisure, 15 Dec. 2023
Dropping the hammer from a stop gets it to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds, which opens plenty of opportunities for maneuvering around traffic's pokey dullards.
—Austin Irwin, Car and Driver, 31 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for pokey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pokey
Noun
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As Ortega is held at a Rikers Island jail pending his next court appearance, police are still working to track down his machete-wielding partner in crime and are asking for the public’s help in identifying him.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
20 Mar. 2025
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Willie Frank Peterson, 52, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine in 2023, and was sentenced to six years and three months in jail.—
Andrea Margolis,
Fox News,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Three days later, his immigration attorney was able to reach an ICE official who confirmed that his client was in a prison in another country.—
Brian Bennett,
TIME,
21 Mar. 2025
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With inmate suicide rates at an all-time high, U.S. District Senior Judge Kimberly Mueller said her aim is to force changes in California’s prison mental health system, which a federal judge in 1995 deemed to be so poor as to constitute cruel and unusual punishment.—
Paige St. John,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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Salvador's Presidency Press Office via AFP - Getty Images Origins in prison Tren de Aragua began in the 2000s in a notorious penitentiary in north-central Venezuela, where gang leaders at one point had their own zoo, nightclub and bank inside the prison.—
David Noriega,
NBC News,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pokey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pokey. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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