penalize

verb

pe·​nal·​ize ˈpē-nə-ˌlīz  ˈpe- 

penalized; penalizing

transitive verb

1

: to inflict a penalty on

2

: to put at a serious disadvantage

penalization

ˈpē-nə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Synonyms of penalize

• punish

Examples of penalize in a Sentence

The company was penalized for not paying taxes.

The hockey player was penalized for holding.

This law would unfairly penalize immigrants.

Recent Examples on the Web

Mahomes equaled his season high with four touchdown passes on the day, but Kansas City's defense struggled to get stops, and the Chiefs' being penalized 10 times didn't help. —Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025

There’s no one behind the wheel, so who is penalized for the error? —Christopher Cann, USA Today, 28 Nov. 2025

The 49ers were penalized only once their previous game. —Cam Inman, Mercury News, 25 Nov. 2025

In 2024, before the AG suit, investigators from the Oregon Ethics Commission recommended that Neal, Padberg, Healy, and Russell be penalized for failing to disclose their conflicts of interest while negotiating Amazon transactions on behalf of the public. —Sean Patrick Cooper, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for penalize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

Kids Definition

penalize

verb

pe·​nal·​ize ˈpēn-ᵊl-ˌīz  ˈpen- 

penalized; penalizing

1

: to give a penalty to

2

: to place at a disadvantage