discipline

1 of 2

verb

disciplined; disciplining

transitive verb

1

: to punish or penalize as a means of enforcing obedience and perfecting moral character

debates about the proper way to discipline a child

was disciplined for misbehaving in class

a player repeatedly disciplined by the league

2

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

I'm trying to discipline myself to exercise each morning.

3

a

: to bring (a group) under control

discipline troops

b

: to impose order upon

Serious writers discipline and refine their writing styles.

discipliner noun

discipliner

2 of 2

noun

dis·​ci·​plin·​er

-nə(r)

plural -s

1

: one that disciplines

2

capitalized : disciplinarian sense 1

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms of discipline

Verb

• punish

Choose the Right Synonym for discipline

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

Examples of discipline in a Sentence

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

Verb

When asked whether the district plans to discipline Kirkland, Goldberg said the district does not comment on personnel matters. —Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026

Second, the academic portfolio must be disciplined. —Christos Korgan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026

The college privately disciplined the students who dressed up as Native Americans but chose not to discipline all of the partygoers. —Ingrid A. Nelson, The Conversation, 29 May 2026

The ensuing fallout— which came just as the department cleared all but one benchmark — led multiple members of OPD’s top command staff to be disciplined, while numerous criminal cases were dismissed or overturned, including at least three murder convictions. —Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 28 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

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"

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing discipline

• self-discipline
• sub-discipline

Rhymes for discipline

• indiscipline

Kids Definition

discipline

1 of 2 noun

dis·​ci·​pline ˈdis-ə-plən 

1

: a field of study : subject

2

: strict training that corrects or strengthens mental ability or moral character

3

: punishment sense 1

4

: control gained by enforcing obedience or order

trying to maintain discipline

5

: a system of rules governing conduct

discipline

2 of 2 verb

disciplined; disciplining

1

: to punish or penalize for the sake of discipline

2

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

3

: to bring under control

discipline troops

discipliner noun