Leavenworth

American

[lev-uhn-wurth, -werth] / ˈlɛv ənˌwɜrθ, -wərθ /

noun

a city in NE Kansas.
a federal and military prison there.

Leavenworth British

/ ˈlɛvənˌwɜːθ, -wəθ /

noun

a city in NE Kansas, on the Missouri River: the state's oldest city, founded in 1854 by proslavery settlers from Missouri. Pop: 35 211 (2003 est)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“That’s unheard of,” said Dayton Vesey, 30, surveying empty seating from behind the counter at Leavenworth Sausage Garten.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

Among the facilities being eyed is one in the prison town of Leavenworth, Kan. A judge once called the former prison there owned by CoreCivic a “hell hole.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2025

The remains were discovered in a remote wooded area south of the town of Leavenworth, in Washington state, officials said.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2025

In 1955, there was an outbreak at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, when I was in the second grade.

From Salon • Nov. 5, 2024

We had walked down the steep hill from my parents’ flat, which was actually the first floor of a six-unit building they owned on Leavenworth near California.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023