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Definition of penalty
penalties
1 : the suffering in person, rights, or property that is annexed by law or judicial decision to the commission of a crime or public offense trespassing forbidden under penalty of imprisonment
2 : the suffering or the sum to be forfeited to which a person agrees to be subjected in case of nonfulfillment of stipulations A penalty was imposed on the contractor for breach of contract.
3a : disadvantage, loss, or hardship due to some action Loss of privacy is one of the penalties you pay for fame.b : a disadvantage (such as loss of yardage, time, or possession of the ball or an addition to or subtraction from the score) imposed on a team or competitor for violation of the rules of a sport The team was given a penalty for the foul.
4 : points scored in bridge by the side that defeats the opposing contract —usually used in plural
penalty
adjectiveFrom the M-W Editors
Examples of penalty in a Sentence
The company was given a severe penalty for the violation.
They allowed him to pay back the money without a penalty.
They allowed him to pay back the money without penalty.
Lack of privacy is one of the penalties you pay for fame.
The hockey player was given a penalty for holding.
Recent Examples of penalty from the Web
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Revenge porn is a crime, and the penalty ranges from up to six months in prison to a fine of $1,000.
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This, in turn, could help end the motherhood penalty and ultimately close the gender pay gap as women would ideally have less difficulty re-entering the workforce.
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Women were allowed to choose to be home with their kids without guilt or government penalty, and people still got married and protected the institution of the traditional family.
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The CNBV’s probe means that more investigators are looking into wrongdoing, and those identified as perpetrators could face higher penalties.
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There is no monetary penalty, and the company did not admit any wrongdoing.
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Germany inflicted another penalty-shootout loss on England, this time in the semifinals of the Under-21 European Championship in Tychy, Poland.
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Obamacare attempted to solve the problem with its individual mandate, which slapped uninsured individuals over the age of 26 with a tax penalty.
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Typically in capital murder trials, the jury also is asked to recommend a sentence of either life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'penalty'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of penalty
Middle English penalte, from Middle French penalité, from Medieval Latin poenalitas, from Latin poenalis
PENALTY Defined for English Language Learners
penalty
playDefinition of penalty for English Language Learners
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: punishment for breaking a rule or law
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: a disadvantage or difficulty you experience
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: a punishment or disadvantage given to a team or player for breaking a rule in a game
PENALTY Defined for Kids
penalty
playDefinition of penalty for Students
penalties
1 : punishment for doing something wrong
2 : a disadvantage given for breaking a rule in a sport or game
Word Root of penalty
The Latin word poena, meaning “punishment,” gives us the root pen or pun. Words from the Latin poena have something to do with punishments. A penalty is a punishment for doing something wrong. Anything penal, such as a group of laws, explains punishments for specific crimes. Punish and punishment also come from poena.
Law Dictionary
penalty
playLegal Definition of penalty
penalties
1 : a punishment that is imposed on a wrongdoer by statute or judicial decision
2 : a pecuniary sum that by agreement is to be paid by a party who fails to fulfill an obligation to another and that is punitive rather than compensatory the court declined to enforce the contractual penalty and determined actual damages instead
Learn More about penalty
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for penalty Spanish Central: Translation of penalty Nglish: Translation of penalty for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of penalty for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about penalty
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