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
The firm also argued that punitive damages should be eliminated or reduced to, at most, three times compensatory damages due to a statutory cap in the state of Florida.
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Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
The jury concluded that Tesla knew its tech wasn’t up to that task, chose not to make that clear, and deserved to pay punitive damages for putting lives at risk.
—Merick T. Lewin, Sun Sentinel, 17 Aug. 2025
Fox is seeking back pay, as well as any compensatory and punitive damages to be decided by a jury.
—Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Shores-Gaston is seeking at least $25,000 in compensation, as well as punitive damages for Stellantis.
—Liam Rappleye, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive damages
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Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
The jury concluded that Tesla knew its tech wasn’t up to that task, chose not to make that clear, and deserved to pay punitive damages for putting lives at risk.
—Merick T. Lewin, Sun Sentinel, 17 Aug. 2025
Fox is seeking back pay, as well as any compensatory and punitive damages to be decided by a jury.
—Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Shores-Gaston is seeking at least $25,000 in compensation, as well as punitive damages for Stellantis.
—Liam Rappleye, USA Today, 14 Aug. 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 10 Sep. 2025.
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