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
Brian Harman was penalized two shots for hitting the wrong ball on the 10th hole.
—
Dallas Morning News, 22 Jan. 2026
The Federal Trade Commission has penalized firms for unlawfully selling sensitive location information.
—Nicole M. Bennett, The Conversation, 21 Jan. 2026
Far from unfairly penalizing longtime homeowners, state property tax laws do the exact opposite.
—Max Taves, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
Fortune previously reported some merchants on the platform said were penalized and experienced major sales declines after raising prices in 2025.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penalize
Dallas Morning News, 22 Jan. 2026
The Federal Trade Commission has penalized firms for unlawfully selling sensitive location information.
—Nicole M. Bennett, The Conversation, 21 Jan. 2026
Far from unfairly penalizing longtime homeowners, state property tax laws do the exact opposite.
—Max Taves, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
Fortune previously reported some merchants on the platform said were penalized and experienced major sales declines after raising prices in 2025.
—Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penalize
punish
Verb
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The Democratic Caucus said the fines are being assessed under rules enacted in 2023 specifically to punish Texas House Democrats for breaking quorum in 2021, when members left the state for 38 days to block GOP voting restrictions.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
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The conspirators fail, and the main character is arrested – reinforcing the film’s core lesson that betrayal of the state is always punished.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penalize. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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