garnishment

noun gar·nish·ment \ ˈgär-nish-mənt \

Updated on: 13 Oct 2017

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)

Examples of garnishment in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of garnishment from the Web

Judges have approved the garnishment of tenants’ wages in nearly all those cases.

— doug donovan, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland Democrats request details on Jared Kushner apartment holdings in state," 18 Aug. 2017
Expect delicious rum libations, served with all the garnishment and fanfare that drinks of this ilk demand.

— michelle matthews | mmatthews@al.com, AL.com, "Things to do in Mobile, Aug. 6-12," 6 Aug. 2017
Wilson advised that the only option to halt the garnishment and keep him from going under was to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

— grace schneider, The Courier-Journal, "Identity theft? High school dropout sees wages taken by government to repay student loan," 6 July 2017
Meanwhile, the garnishments had rolled up to $4,294, an average of $613.42 a month.

— grace schneider, The Courier-Journal, "Identity theft? High school dropout sees wages taken by government to repay student loan," 6 July 2017
While creditors can continue trying to collect out-of-statute debts, the McClanahans wouldn’t have faced the potential lawsuits, wage garnishment or bank account liens that can come from ignoring in-statute debt.

— liz weston, The Seattle Times, "Liz Weston: Free of debt – with regrets," 5 July 2017
Polster signed the order approving the garnishment on Friday, after Rucker and federal prosecutors agreed on the amount.

— eric heisig, cleveland.com, "Imprisoned former Cleveland Brown Reggie Rucker's NFL pension garnished to pay back money he stole," 5 June 2017
The monthly garnishments will mark the first meaningful payments Rucker will make to the Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance and other groups.

— eric heisig, cleveland.com, "Imprisoned former Cleveland Brown Reggie Rucker's NFL pension garnished to pay back money he stole," 5 June 2017
The judge released the funds despite the FTC’s argument that all of Cooper’s assets are subject to garnishment if repayment of the $25.9 million is ordered.

— ron hurtibise, Sun-Sentinel.com, "CEO of seized patent 'scam' firm seeks another $75,000," 1 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of garnishment

(sense 1) ¹garnish + -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 ¹garnish

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1550

See Words from the same year

garnishment Synonyms

Synonyms

adornment, beautifier, caparison, doodad, embellisher, embellishment, frill, garnish, decoration, garniture, ornament, ornamentation, setoff, trim

Near Antonyms

blemish, defacement, disfigurement, scar; blot, spot, stain

Financial Definition of GARNISHMENT

garnishment

noun

What It Is

Also called wage execution, a garnishment is a process under which money owed or paid to a borrower is given to a creditor instead.

How It Works

Let's say John Doe has stopped paying child support to his ex-wife. His ex-wife takes him to court for the money owed and obtains a garnishment, whereby the court seizes a portion of John's monthly paycheck and automatically gives it to his ex-wife.

One of the most common forms of garnishment is wage garnishment. Wage garnishment is often used to recoup back taxes, delinquent child support or judgments, and the courts have the ability to garnish not just wages, but bonuses, commissions, pension income and distributions from retirement plans. Welfare, unemployment, veterans benefits, social security income, workers compensation and child support payments generally cannot be garnished.

The Consumer Credit Protection Act prohibits employers from firing employees just because their earnings are being garnished, though there are exceptions.

Why It Matters

Garnishments generally require a court order, and they can destroy a person's credit rating. It is important to note that not all things can be garnished; state laws set forth the exemptions. Usually, state laws prohibit garnishing a person's assets to the extent that they leave the borrower with no way to support himself or herself.

Source: Investing Answers

Law Dictionary

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