Synonyms
Examples of penalize in a Sentence
The company was penalized for not paying taxes.
The hockey player was penalized for holding.
This law would unfairly penalize immigrants.
Recent Examples on the Web
Others required employment verification, penalized the leasing of property to certain immigrants, and prohibited day laborers from congregating in public spaces.
—
TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
The company was initially penalized $14,063 before the penalty was lowered to $9,844.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
In 2023, Malibu residents were penalized for obscuring access to a public beach.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The oil industry and biofuels industry, meanwhile, have both objected, citing not just feasibility questions but energy security and cost efficiency as reasons to avoid regulations that penalize the internal combustion engine.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024
The bill would require mandatory audits of these agencies and penalize those that did not meet data security standards with a 5% budget reduction.
—Jenna Barackman, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
California is considering penalizing officials for draining aquifers.
—Dionne Searcey, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024
Apple did, however, get penalized for violating a California competition law and altered some of its app store practices in response to a court order.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
Failure to report could be penalized by up to 14 years in prison.
—Kanis Leung, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Mar. 2024
TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
The company was initially penalized $14,063 before the penalty was lowered to $9,844.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
In 2023, Malibu residents were penalized for obscuring access to a public beach.
—Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The oil industry and biofuels industry, meanwhile, have both objected, citing not just feasibility questions but energy security and cost efficiency as reasons to avoid regulations that penalize the internal combustion engine.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024
The bill would require mandatory audits of these agencies and penalize those that did not meet data security standards with a 5% budget reduction.
—Jenna Barackman, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
California is considering penalizing officials for draining aquifers.
—Dionne Searcey, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024
Apple did, however, get penalized for violating a California competition law and altered some of its app store practices in response to a court order.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
Failure to report could be penalized by up to 14 years in prison.
—Kanis Leung, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'penalize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near penalize
Cite this Entry
“Penalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penalize. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
penalize
verb
pe·nal·ize
ˈpēn-ᵊl-ˌīz 
ˈpen-
ˈpen-
penalized; penalizing
1
: to give a penalty to
2
: to place at a disadvantage
More from Merriam-Webster on penalize
Nglish: Translation of penalize for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of penalize for Arabic Speakers
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