garnishment

noun

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gar·nish·ment | \ ˈgär-nish-mənt

Definition of garnishment

1 : ornament, garnish

2 : a legal summons or warning concerning the attachment of property to satisfy a debt

3 : a stoppage of a specified sum from wages to satisfy a creditor or a legal obligation (such as child support)

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Examples of garnishment in a Sentence

a high-end caterer whose dishes feature an array of over-the-top garnishments

Recent Examples on the Web But by August, default judgment and wage garnishment orders emerged in a handful of cases that remained on the docket. — Danielle Douglas-gabriel, BostonGlobe.com, "Student loan companies return to court to collect on private education debt," 21 Jan. 2021 Protections for Minnesotans against price gouging on essential goods and services and garnishment of COVID-19 relief payments. — Scott Mcclallen, Washington Examiner, "Walz asks Minnesota Legislature to enact COVID-19 orders to prepare for end of emergency powers," 8 Jan. 2021 At 270 days late, the loan is in default and collections efforts begin, leading to consequences such as wage garnishment and seizure of tax refunds. — Nerd Wallet, oregonlive, "If you have a federal student loan, you can skip another payment," 7 Dec. 2020 Baltimore County District Court Judge Philip Tirabassi in a bench trial this month ordered the writ of garnishment, ruling that Jalisi violated state labor and employment statutes. — Taylor Deville, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore County Del. Jay Jalisi ordered to pay over $19,500, including wages never paid, to ex-employee," 23 Dec. 2020 In the most recent lawsuit, Cathay has obtained a writ of garnishment against both Shilo Management and Hemstreet that will give the bank the ability to access their bank accounts. — oregonlive, "A third of Oregon’s Paycheck Protection Program money went to 1.6% of loan recipients," 4 Dec. 2020 For private student loans, tax refund garnishment is only available at the state level and does not apply to federal tax refunds. — Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, "College borrowers aren't always seeing COVID-19 relief. Here's why," 8 Oct. 2020 On paper, Randall Ward would seem to be well-insulated from garnishment. — Paul Kiel, ProPublica, "Debt Collectors Have Made a Fortune This Year. Now They’re Coming for More.," 5 Oct. 2020 And finally unlike the CARES Act payments, these would be exempt from levy or garnishment due to past due child support. — Fortune, "‘Very, very far apart’: Pelosi and Mnuchin fail to reach a deal on bill including stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment," 30 Sep. 2020

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

History and Etymology for garnishment

(sense 1) garnish entry 1 + -ment; (senses 2-3) borrowed from Anglo-French garnissement "warning, notification, notification concerning the attachment of property to satisfy a debt," from garniss-, stem of garnir "to give notice, warn, give legal summons" + -ment -ment — more at garnish entry 1

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Last Updated

29 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Garnishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/garnishment. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for garnishment

garnishment

noun

gar·nish·ment | \ ˈgär-nish-mənt

Legal Definition of garnishment

: a remedial device used by a creditor to have property of the debtor or money owed to the debtor that is in the possession of a third party attached to pay the debt to the creditor specifically : attachment of the debtor's wages to satisfy a judgment — compare wage assignment at assignment