mulct 1 of 2

noun

ˈməlkt How to pronounce mulct (audio)
Definition of mulctnext
as in penalty
a sum of money to be paid as a punishment the loan shark usually imposed a mulct of an additional 20% on overdue payments

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

mulct

2 of 2

verb

as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats trying to mulct the insurance company for an accident that never happened

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of mulct
Verb
As my colleague Kevin Baxter has reported, fans are beginning to feel mulcted. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mulct
  1. penalty
  2. cheat
  3. fine
  4. pluck
  5. damages
  6. squeeze
  7. sting
  8. hustle
Noun
  • Crystal Palace beat 2025 champions Liverpool on penalties in last season’s showpiece, before Liverpool endured a disappointing title defence.
    — Dean Jones, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Tanaka scored on a penalty shot in the 79th minute to give Utah the win.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of penalty
Verb
  • Not to be cheated in front of the largest assembly of Hall of Famers since the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, Schwarber flew out twice to deep center field.
    — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Princeton University dropped its over century-old Honor Code tradition which let students take their exams without supervision, after an AI cheating scandal rattled the Ivy League institution.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of cheat
Noun
  • The La Jolla 18-year-old who admitted to kicking a sea lion faces a year in jail and $100,000 fine.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Under Illinois law, none of the $250,000 fine will go to affected families.
    — Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of fine
Verb
  • The streamer has found its leading lady for the biopic, plucking an unknown first-timer to play the sertanejo icon.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Just walk out the back door, pluck a warm peach off the tree, and try to think of a more quintessentially summer experience.
    — Heather Bien, Southern Living, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of pluck
Noun
  • Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking extensive financial damages plus changes to how the company operates Facebook and Instagram.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The eight-person jury will serve an advisory function — ultimately, District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will consider the jury’s decision and rule on the verdict and potential damages.
    — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of damages
Verb
  • Cheap electric cars dominate one end of the market, Tesla occupies the premium end, and the middle is getting squeezed.
    — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Washington is trying to choke Iran's ability to get its crude out while Tehran is squeezing the artery through which everybody else's crude gets through.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeeze
Verb
  • Spray the nest from a distance to reduce the chances of being stung.
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • More than 3,100 people have been stung at Bolsa Chica and Huntington State Beach so far this year, which is at least double last year's total.
    — Michele Gile, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of sting
Verb
  • Hate crime charges have been filed against a man who disrupted Shabbat services in Manhattan's Central Synagogue and struck two people while being hustled outside Friday night.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Hong’s early capture of the data-center issue, which was not especially ideological, is a good example of how consistently the Party’s much larger traditional wing has been out-hustled.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of hustle

Browse Nearby Words

mugs
mulct
mulcted
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Mulct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mulct. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All