compensatory damages
noun
: money awarded to a victim to make up for an injury, damage, etc.
The patient sued for compensatory damages.
Examples of compensatory damages in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The jury’s award included $38 million in compensatory damages and $60 million in punitive damages.
—
Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
During closing arguments Friday, Scofield’s attorneys asked for an award of $1 million in compensatory damages and left the total for punitive damages for the jury to decide.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 27 Feb. 2026
In the filing, the former chief seeks unspecified economic and compensatory damages.
—ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026
The firm also said punitive damages should be eliminated or reduced to, at most, three times compensatory damages due to a statutory cap in the state of Florida.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for compensatory damages
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Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
During closing arguments Friday, Scofield’s attorneys asked for an award of $1 million in compensatory damages and left the total for punitive damages for the jury to decide.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 27 Feb. 2026
In the filing, the former chief seeks unspecified economic and compensatory damages.
—ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026
The firm also said punitive damages should be eliminated or reduced to, at most, three times compensatory damages due to a statutory cap in the state of Florida.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for compensatory damages
Cite this Entry
“Compensatory damages.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compensatory%20damages. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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