garnishment

noun

gar·​nish·​ment ˈgär-nish-mənt 

1

: ornament, garnish

2

: a legal summons or warning concerning the attachment of property to satisfy a debt

3

: a stoppage of a specified sum from wages to satisfy a creditor or a legal obligation (such as child support)

Synonyms

• adornment
• beautifier
• caparison
• decoration
• doodad
• embellisher
• embellishment
• frill
• garnish
• garniture
• ornament
• ornamentation
• setoff
• trim

Examples of garnishment in a Sentence

a high-end caterer whose dishes feature an array of over-the-top garnishments

Recent Examples on the Web

Additionally, their wages would’ve been be subject to garnishment, meaning the government would take money — up to 15% of disposable income — out of their paychecks to repay the defaulted loans. —Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 23 May 2025

Beyond possibly leading to wage garnishment, defaulting on a student loan hurts in other ways. —Alain Sherter, CBS News, 21 May 2025

Meanwhile, borrowers who are behind on their monthly student loan payments but have not yet defaulted may still have time to avoid Treasury Offset and wage garnishment. —Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025

With the resumption in student loan collections—which will include wage garnishments—borrowers in default may be facing even greater economic difficulties in the near future. —Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

(sense 1) garnish entry 1 + -ment; (senses 2 & 3) borrowed from Anglo-French garnissement "warning, notification, notification concerning the attachment of property to satisfy a debt," from garniss-, stem of garnir "to give notice, warn, give legal summons" + -ment -ment — more at garnish entry 1

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

garnishment

noun

gar·​nish·​ment ˈgär-nish-mənt 

: a remedial device used by a creditor to have property of the debtor or money owed to the debtor that is in the possession of a third party attached to pay the debt to the creditor

specifically : attachment of the debtor's wages to satisfy a judgment compare wage assignment at assignment