discipline

noun

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dis·ci·pline | \ ˈdi-sə-plən

Definition of discipline

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : control gained by enforcing obedience or order

b : orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior

c : self-control

2 : punishment

3 : training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character

4 : a field of study

5 : a rule or system of rules governing conduct or activity

6 obsolete : instruction

discipline

verb

disciplined; disciplining

Definition of discipline (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to punish or penalize for the sake of enforcing obedience and perfecting moral character

2 : to train or develop by instruction and exercise especially in self-control

3a : to bring (a group) under control discipline troops

b : to impose order upon serious writers discipline and refine their writing styles

Other Words from discipline Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym The Root and Meanings of Discipline More Example Sentences Learn More about discipline

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Choose the Right Synonym for discipline

Verb

punish, chastise, castigate, chasten, discipline, correct mean to inflict a penalty on in requital for wrongdoing. punish implies subjecting to a penalty for wrongdoing. punished for stealing chastise may apply to either the infliction of corporal punishment or to verbal censure or denunciation. chastised his son for neglecting his studies castigate usually implies a severe, typically public censure. an editorial castigating the entire city council chasten suggests any affliction or trial that leaves one humbled or subdued. chastened by a landslide election defeat discipline implies a punishing or chastening in order to bring under control. parents must discipline their children correct implies punishing aimed at reforming an offender. the function of prison is to correct the wrongdoer

teach, instruct, educate, train, discipline, school mean to cause to acquire knowledge or skill. teach applies to any manner of imparting information or skill so that others may learn. taught us a lot about our planet instruct suggests methodical or formal teaching. instructs raw recruits in military drill educate implies development of the mind. more things than formal schooling serve to educate a person train stresses instruction and drill with a specific end in view. trained foreign pilots to operate the new aircraft discipline implies training in habits of order and precision. a disciplined mind school implies training or disciplining especially in what is hard to master. schooled the horse in five gaits

The Root and Meanings of Discipline

Discipline comes from discipulus, the Latin word for pupil, which also provided the source of the word disciple (albeit by way of a Late Latin sense-shift to “a follower of Jesus Christ in his lifetime”). Given that several meanings of discipline deal with study, governing one’s behavior, and instruction, one might assume that the word’s first meaning in English had to do with education. In fact, the earliest known use of discipline appears to be punishment-related; it first was used in the 13th century to refer to chastisement of a religious nature, such as self-flagellation.

Examples of discipline in a Sentence

Noun Sir Robert Peel is credited with creating the first modern police force, the bobbies, in London, in 1829, but the transformation of law enforcement, and especially forensic science, into a professional discipline was a haphazard affair. — Jeffrey Toobin, New Yorker, 7 May 2007 Pragmatism became America's most important contribution to the life of the mind in the 20th century. Filtered through scores of later interpreters, it percolated across a broad segment of academic culture and influenced disciplines as diverse as literary criticism and legal theory. — Theo Anderson, Wilson Quarterly, Summer 2007 So the next fall I went to Hampshire College and began studying under Herbert Bernstein. Without him, I would never have become a scientist. He shamed me into doing the hard work necessary to be able not just to talk about math and physics but to calculate. Without that discipline, my story would have been very different … — Lee Smolin, Curious Minds, (2004) 2005 He stood erect, his bearing patrician, his dress impeccable. His face was stern and his pale eyes unsmiling behind his trifocals, like a man who had been called from important duties in the principal's office to administer discipline to an unruly classroom. — Nick Taylor, Laser, 2000 The teacher has a hard time maintaining discipline in the classroom. The troops were praised for their dedication and discipline. Some parents feel that the school's principal has been too harsh in meting out discipline. Keeping a journal is a good discipline for a writer. Verb The Army disciplined seven men for the incident, penalties ranging from pay-cuts and loss of rank to dismissal from the Rangers and return to the rank-and-file Army. — Gary Smith, Sports Illustrated, 11 Sept. 2006 Volunteers have to undergo a program to discipline the mind and cleanse the soul. — Aparism Ghosh, Time, 4 July 2005 The teacher then took me to the principal's office. There, the principal attempted to discipline me with an old Catholic school technique called "paddling" … — Lalo Gomez, Undoing Time, 2001 She was disciplined for misbehaving in class. He seems unwilling or unable to discipline his children. I'm trying to discipline myself to eat less.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Interviews with inmates revealed that they were forced to work for pennies an hour under threat of discipline; many became sick. — Los Angeles Times, "He wants to kick Jim Crow out of the California Constitution," 24 Feb. 2021 Reducing our dependence on devices takes a lot of discipline. — Brandon Russell, CNN Underscored, "Tips for finally reducing your screen time this year," 18 Feb. 2021 Sherwood would not say what kind of discipline was given, or when it was handed down to Purushotham, citing personnel privacy laws. — Chronicle Staff, San Francisco Chronicle, "Coronavirus news from the Bay Area: Jan. 21-27, 2021," 6 Feb. 2021 The report concluded that most of the problems likely resulted from a lack of discipline for officers who flouted department rules on activating and deactivating the cameras appropriately. — Libor Jany, Star Tribune, "Under new policy, Minneapolis police may not turn off body cameras at crime scenes, calls," 1 Feb. 2021 That helps to keep them in line in terms of following protocols but doesn't take away from the level of discipline so many exhibited during the 2020 season. — Nate Davis, USA TODAY, "NFL was forced to adapt during coronavirus pandemic, and some changes could stick," 31 Jan. 2021 Sherwood would not say what kind of discipline was given, or when it was handed down to Purushotham, citing personnel privacy laws. — Lauren Hernández, SFChronicle.com, "Good Samaritan Hospital executive disciplined after allowing Los Gatos teachers, staff to jump vaccine line," 26 Jan. 2021 The board recommended the highest level of discipline, which could be between 10 days and firing. — Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, "How Ohio legislators voted in impeachment of President Trump: The Wake Up for Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021," 14 Jan. 2021 Green went on to resign permanently from the practice of law in lieu of discipline. — John Simerman, NOLA.com, "New Orleans Judge Harry Cantrell to run out the clock on misconduct complaints: records," 14 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb There is no nationwide standard for how departments discipline an officer believed to have taken part in the Capitol siege, whether criminally charged or not. — Washington Post, "Police chief placed on leave after one of his officers was charged for participating in Capitol riot," 23 Feb. 2021 But committee chairwoman Sandra Schwemmer tried to assuage the concerns by noting that the boards could use the rules to discipline rogue doctors who don’t abide by the standards that ultimately are adopted. — Christine Sexton, sun-sentinel.com, "Medical marijuana: Wrangling over smokable pot regulations," 22 Feb. 2021 The policy also states that if the employer later learns the employee attended a Thanksgiving gathering but didn’t own up to it, the employer may discipline the employee with an unpaid suspension. — Anchorage Daily News, "COVID-19 is spiking, but our employees are planning Thanksgiving get-togethers," 24 Nov. 2020 Indiana judicial officers are calling for the state's Supreme Court to hold a public hearing to decide how to discipline a Hamilton County magistrate who was arrested after swallowing a bag of methamphetamine to try and hide it from cops. — Johnny Magdaleno, The Indianapolis Star, "Magistrate who swallowed bag of meth may face discipline from Indiana Supreme Court," 9 Oct. 2020 Hufstetler had hoped that Republicans in Congress would discipline Greene. — Jeremy Redmon, ajc, "To her N. Georgia constituents, Greene is either an ‘embarrassment’ or a conservative champion," 4 Feb. 2021 Records show Cervantes had been reprimanded previously for leaving a threatening note on a former romantic partner's car and using a stun gun to discipline his puppy, among 13 complaints. — AZCentral.com, "The biggest Arizona headlines of 2020, from COVID-19 to the elections," 28 Dec. 2020 These days, most courts have allowed public schools to discipline students for social media posts so long as they are linked to school activities and threaten to disrupt them. — Adam Liptak, New York Times, "A Cheerleader’s Vulgar Message Prompts a First Amendment Showdown," 28 Dec. 2020 The monitor won’t have any part in the union’s collective-bargaining agreements but will have the power to investigate and discipline corrupt officials. — Michael Saltsman And Charlyce Bozzello, WSJ, "The Flaw in the UAW Corruption Settlement," 17 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discipline.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for discipline

Noun

Middle English, "chastisement, system of ordered conduct, instruction, branch of learning," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin disciplīna "teaching, instruction, branch of study, orderly conduct based on moral training" (Medieval Latin, "chastisement, scourging"), from discipulus "pupil, learner" + -īna, suffix denoting a place or practice (from noun derivative of feminine of -īnus -ine entry 1) — more at disciple

Verb

Middle English disciplinen "to subject to chastisement, educate," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French discipliner, borrowed from Late Latin disciplīnāre "to teach" (Medieval Latin, "to punish, scourge"), derivative of Latin disciplīna "teaching, discipline entry 1"

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Dictionary Entries near discipline

disciplinary

disciplinary barracks

Statistics for discipline

Last Updated

27 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Discipline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discipline. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for discipline

discipline

noun

English Language Learners Definition of discipline

(Entry 1 of 2)

: control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed and punishing bad behavior

: a way of behaving that shows a willingness to obey rules or orders

: behavior that is judged by how well it follows a set of rules or orders

discipline

verb

English Language Learners Definition of discipline (Entry 2 of 2)

: to punish (someone) as a way of making sure that rules or orders are obeyed

: to train (yourself) to do something by controlling your behavior

See the full definition for discipline in the English Language Learners Dictionary

discipline

noun

dis·ci·pline | \ ˈdi-sə-plən

Kids Definition of discipline

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : punishment sense 1

2 : strict training that corrects or strengthens “Boys need discipline,” he said.

3 : habits and ways of acting that are gotten through practice At this point in the act the penguins always forgot their discipline …— Richard and Florence Atwater, Mr. Popper's Penguins

4 : control that is gained by insisting that rules be followed The teacher tried to maintain discipline.

discipline

verb

disciplined; disciplining

Kids Definition of discipline (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to punish as a way to bring about good behavior The principal disciplined the troublemakers.

2 : to train in self-control or obedience The diet disciplines overeaters.

3 : to bring under control discipline troops

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