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
If utilities don't deliver to the state's standards, they can be penalized.
—
Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 27 Feb. 2026
Perhaps look at a system where teams could invest in their own players without being financially penalized.
—Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
His threats to penalize or essentially nationalize Anthropic anyway might be a way of setting a precedent for its competitors.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
Netflix can raise its offer beyond Paramount’s latest $31 per share if necessary and still create value for shareholders (if multiple is not penalized further from the deal).
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penalize
Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 27 Feb. 2026
Perhaps look at a system where teams could invest in their own players without being financially penalized.
—Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
His threats to penalize or essentially nationalize Anthropic anyway might be a way of setting a precedent for its competitors.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
Netflix can raise its offer beyond Paramount’s latest $31 per share if necessary and still create value for shareholders (if multiple is not penalized further from the deal).
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for penalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penalize
punish
Verb
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Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Getty Taking photos or videos of the location of strikes and sending them to the media is banned, and Iranian officials say people who do so will be punished, Bathei reports.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
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In Greek and Roman mythology, the Furies were goddesses of vengeance and retribution, called on to punish heinous crimes such as murder; now, the word is used more generally to mean fierce passion or rage.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penalize. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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