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 Mountcastle took his place as the Orioles’ top offensive performer, showing improved plate discipline and holding his own in the outfield. — Nathan Ruiz, baltimoresun.com, "The Orioles are reportedly interested in Yasiel Puig again. Would signing him make sense?," 26 Nov. 2020 Previously, the board and Internal Affairs operated on different timelines and the civilian group’s findings had no impact on an officer’s final discipline. — Rebecca Lurye, courant.com, "Reforms to Civilian Police Review Board, approved by Hartford city council, aim to bring accountability, transparency," 26 Nov. 2020 But archaeology, like any discipline, is profoundly intertwined with ideology. — Angela Watercutter, Wired, "The Quest to Unearth One of America’s Oldest Black Churches," 26 Nov. 2020 Requiring nonbanks to fund their operations with longer-term securities would eliminate the shadow bank business model, restore market discipline, and improve the stability of our financial markets. — Fortune, "Why it would be a huge mistake to allow Big Tech firms to acquire banks," 26 Nov. 2020 As another defense sat back largely in zone coverage, baiting him into unnecessary risks, the discipline in his progressions began to break down. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, "What’s wrong with USC’s Kedon Slovis? Not much, according to those around him," 25 Nov. 2020 Rawlings, who directs Beloved Community, said the organization also reviews hiring and discipline practices among schools. — Della Hasselle | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "New Orleans public schools to begin audit for building renaming; here's how it will work," 24 Nov. 2020 New York is not the birthplace of jazz but rather its town square, where discipline is sharpened and lessons are taught. — Sasha Frere-jones, Town & Country, "Branford and Wynton Marsalis Are Keeping New York's Jazz Scene Alive," 23 Nov. 2020 Central athletic director Samantha Pitts said the film will be sent to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association and commissioner Julian Tackett to review and determine if any discipline needs to be issued. — David J. Kim, The Courier-Journal, "Central beats Waggener in playoffs as game called early due to fourth quarter scuffle," 21 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Bell also reminded students that discipline for violating COVID-19 protocols included suspension from school. — Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, "Alabama president tells students COVID case rise ‘unacceptable’," 23 Aug. 2020 Tuite similarly asked O’Brien to discipline compliance director David Rasmussen, who had just investigated a football player for marijuana use and a baseball player for gambling, both of which are NCAA violations. — Kenny Jacoby And Rachel Axon, USA TODAY, "In the spotlight for sex abuse claims, San Jose State University now accused of cover-ups and retaliation," 18 Sep. 2020 But even where political speech is protected, an employer can discipline or dismiss an employee if the political expression interferes with the business or disrupts fellow workers. — Anne Steele, WSJ, "Is Political Speech Protected in the Workplace? Here’s What You Need to Know," 25 Oct. 2020 When students reported racist incidents to school staff, according to the Instagram stories, the staff did not discipline the offenders and often downplayed the students’ concerns. — Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Students work with Poway Unified to fix racism in schools," 25 Oct. 2020 This month, the same court upheld a decision to discipline another city officer accused of inappropriately logging into a police database to retrieve information and dish about a cop who had been arrested. — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, "Appeals court upholds firing of Baltimore Police officer, ruling his past troubles can be used against him," 19 Oct. 2020 The Florida Supreme Court may discipline or remove judges on the recommendation of the Judicial Qualifications Commission, an independent state agency charged with investigating alleged misconduct. — Monivette Cordeiro, orlandosentinel.com, "Circuit Judge Alan Apte remains on bench amid molestation probe," 21 Oct. 2020 The board won’t discipline officers or investigate complaints. — Lisa J. Huriash, sun-sentinel.com, "Broward’s new police review panel will track misconduct — and lots more," 20 Oct. 2020 The lawsuit also targets 10 unnamed sheriff's officials for failing to discipline the deputies involved, including one with three past use-of-force shootings on his record. — Maria Puente, USA TODAY, "Ex-'Tarzan' actor Ron Ely sues Santa Barbara sheriffs over 'wrongful' deaths of wife and son," 2 Oct. 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

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Last Updated

29 Nov 2020

Cite this Entry

“Discipline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discipline. Accessed 4 Dec. 2020.

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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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