as in to punish
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime
the player was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct
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Recent Examples of penalize
Their argument, essentially, was that Democrats should govern where common ground with Republicans was possible to avoid penalizing their constituents for Trump’s sins.
—
David M. Drucker, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2025
However, residents who call the Public Works department to report parking issues and request a study will not be penalized in the process, according to Shepherd.
After witnessing Ald.
—Alyssa N. Salcedo, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Some schools and athletes benefit from loopholes and aggressive interpretations of these guidelines, while others are penalized inconsistently.
—Jim Martin, Denver Post, 3 Aug. 2025
Incumbents grow unassailable, accountable only to low-turnout partisan primaries, which reward extremism and penalize compromise.
—Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penalize
David M. Drucker, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2025
However, residents who call the Public Works department to report parking issues and request a study will not be penalized in the process, according to Shepherd.
After witnessing Ald.
—Alyssa N. Salcedo, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Some schools and athletes benefit from loopholes and aggressive interpretations of these guidelines, while others are penalized inconsistently.
—Jim Martin, Denver Post, 3 Aug. 2025
Incumbents grow unassailable, accountable only to low-turnout partisan primaries, which reward extremism and penalize compromise.
—Dan Perry, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for penalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penalize
punish
Verb
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But there’s a very big bar to punishing it: the Supreme Court ruled years ago that flag burning is protected under the Constitution’s First Amendment and its free speech clause.—
Paul Bedard,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Aug. 2025
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Their obsessively ardent fan bases tend to punish such transgressors rapidly and repeatedly.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penalize. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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