penalty
Americannoun
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a punishment imposed or incurred for a violation of law or rule.
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a loss, forfeiture, suffering, or the like, to which one subjects oneself by nonfulfillment of some obligation.
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something that is forfeited, as a sum of money.
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a disadvantage imposed upon one of the competitors or upon one side for infraction of the rules of a game, sport, etc.
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consequence or disadvantage attached to any action, condition, etc.
noun
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a legal or official punishment, such as a term of imprisonment
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some other form of punishment, such as a fine or forfeit for not fulfilling a contract
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loss, suffering, or other unfortunate result of one's own action, error, etc
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sport games a handicap awarded against a player or team for illegal play, such as a free shot at goal by the opposing team, loss of points, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of penalty
Explanation
A penalty is a punishment or consequence for doing something wrong, such as having to pay a fee for not bringing your library book back when it was due. In hockey, players who break the rules have to sit in "the penalty box." Just like the penalty box punishes hockey players, all penalties are punishments for doing something wrong. Going to prison is the penalty for serious crimes. Detention is the penalty for misbehaving in school. Often, penalty applies to payments people have to make for breaking a financial contract of some kind.
Vocabulary lists containing penalty
Unit 1: Telling Details
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A Soccer and a Football Special
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Stamp Act (1765)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Transfers made within Medicaid’s five-year look-back period can trigger a penalty period delaying eligibility for benefits.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
NextEra’s shares could be stuck in the penalty box for a while longer, with regulatory approvals—across Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina—expected to take 12 to 18 months.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
“If someone is thinking about flipping SpaceX shares and eating the penalty, that is probably something they should keep in mind.”
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
As it happens, Hamilton and Ferrari managed to find a way to negate his penalty around the safety-car period.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Concerns about innocence and the death penalty were intensifying, and support for the death penalty in opinion polls began to drop.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
