mete out
phrasal 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
The parking spaces and wine cellars are also meted out sparingly, according to brokers, with preference going to the buyers of the larger units.
—
Kim Velsey, Curbed, 27 Jan. 2026
Attacks by the infected are few and far between, and most of the violence on display is meted out by the Jimmys.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2026
Several French and Italian citizens were among the dead, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for stern punishment to be meted out to those responsible for the blaze.
—Reuters, NBC news, 9 Jan. 2026
It was announced a few days later that the Iranian authorities had decided to reactivate a six-year sentence originally meted out to Panahi in 2010 alongside a 20-year filmmaking and travel ban.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mete out
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Kim Velsey, Curbed, 27 Jan. 2026
Attacks by the infected are few and far between, and most of the violence on display is meted out by the Jimmys.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2026
Several French and Italian citizens were among the dead, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for stern punishment to be meted out to those responsible for the blaze.
—Reuters, NBC news, 9 Jan. 2026
It was announced a few days later that the Iranian authorities had decided to reactivate a six-year sentence originally meted out to Panahi in 2010 alongside a 20-year filmmaking and travel ban.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mete out
Cite this Entry
“Mete out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mete%20out. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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