punitive damages
plural noun
: damages awarded in excess of compensation to the plaintiff to punish a defendant for a serious wrong
Examples of punitive damages in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There was a jury verdict for compensatory and punitive damages, which was appealed.
—
Robert W. Wood, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
The complaint is seeking compensatory and punitive damages of more than $50 million.
—David Close, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2025
The three-time Super Bowl champ, who is being sued for over $50 million in compensatory and punitive damages, released a statement via his lawyer online disputing the claims.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2025
Of the $15 million that the jury awarded Depp, $5 million was in punitive damages aimed to punish Heard for especially reprehensible conduct.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive damages
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Robert W. Wood, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
The complaint is seeking compensatory and punitive damages of more than $50 million.
—David Close, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2025
The three-time Super Bowl champ, who is being sued for over $50 million in compensatory and punitive damages, released a statement via his lawyer online disputing the claims.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2025
Of the $15 million that the jury awarded Depp, $5 million was in punitive damages aimed to punish Heard for especially reprehensible conduct.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive damages
Cite this Entry
“Punitive damages.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punitive%20damages. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share