mete out

verb

meted out; meting out; metes out

: to give (something) to the people who one decides should get it : to give out or distribute (something)

We're trying to be fair in meting out rewards and punishments.

—usually used to refer to something unpleasant (such as punishment)

Huge fines were meted out as punishment.

The king meted out justice as he saw fit.

Examples of mete out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Stern’s decisive response to the Malice at the Palace – the suspensions of the players as well as the punishments meted out to the fans – sent a clear message that such behavior would not be tolerated. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026

Locarno Pro Prizes In other Locarno Pro 2026 awards (announced separately on Sunday), the First Look work-in-progress showcase devoted to Uruguayan films this year meted out a number of collateral prizes. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2026

Catherine’s story line evokes a feverish what-if scenario in which a survivor musters the requisite recklessness, talent for murder, and wig collection to mete out retribution. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 30 July 2026

It’s presented with such grace as Koreeda, once again, metes out details about each character’s own familial backgrounds. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 30 July 2026

Rhymes for mete out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout