garnishment

noun

gar·​nish·​ment ˈgär-nish-mənt 

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)

Synonyms

• ornament
• ornamentation
• decoration
• garnish

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

And people wrote letters to the courts saying wage garnishment would exacerbate their already dire financial situations. —Rae Ellen Bichell, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025

In Virginia, the state's conservative Republican governor this year signed a measure restricting wage garnishment and capping interest rates. —Noam Levey, NPR, 25 Sep. 2025

Panic sets in, especially if the caller threatens arrest, wage garnishment or lawsuits. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025

What about garnishments, child support deductions after final paycheck? —Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

(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

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

garnishment

noun

gar·​nish·​ment ˈgär-nish-mənt 

: 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