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
Schuyler, who sold the Degrassi franchise to documentary co-producer WildBrain in 2014, is asking the court to stop the film from being released in its current form and grant her punitive damages.
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Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Bellis later added $473 million in punitive damages, bringing the total libel judgment to $1,436,620,000—believed to be one of the largest in American history.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Dixon seeks $260 million in punitive damages from Perry.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
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.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punitive damages
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Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Bellis later added $473 million in punitive damages, bringing the total libel judgment to $1,436,620,000—believed to be one of the largest in American history.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Dixon seeks $260 million in punitive damages from Perry.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
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.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 29 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 14 Sep. 2025.
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