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

Whitney warns that the situation is poised to worsen, with impending wage garnishment for seriously delinquent student-loan debt set to further squeeze this cohort. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025

If Darjean ultimately prevails, he will be entitled to pursue collection efforts, potentially including garnishment of Sanders’ NFL income. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Aug. 2025

Your boss is not allowed to terminate you because of the wage garnishment, Kantrowitz said. —Annie Nova, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2025

The garnishment will apply to roughly 452,000 beneficiaries who are in default on their student loans. —Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 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