guardroom

noun

guard·​room ˈgärd-ˌrüm 

-ˌru̇m

1

: a room occupied by a military guard during its term of duty

2

: a room where military prisoners are confined

Synonyms

• bastille
• big house [slang]
• bridewell
• brig
• calaboose
• can
• clink [slang]
• cooler
• coop
• hock
• hold
• hoosegow
• jail
• jailhouse
• joint [slang]
• jug
• lockup
• nick [British slang]
• pen
• penitentiary
• pokey [slang]
• prison
• quod [British slang]
• slam
• slammer
• stir [slang]
• stockade
• tolbooth [Scottish]

Examples of guardroom in a Sentence

hauled the prisoners of war into the guardroom and sent for the doctor on duty

Recent Examples on the Web

In one guardroom, among the mess on the floor, is an orange locker door ripped from its hinges and taped with a poster of Mr. Assad. —Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

guardroom

noun

guard·​room ˈgär-ˌdrüm 

-ˌdru̇m

1

: a room used by a military guard while on duty

2

: a room where military prisoners are kept