discipline

American  

[dis-uh-plin] / ˈdɪs ə plɪn /

noun

disciplines plural

1. training to act in accordance with rules; drill.

   military discipline.

2. an activity, exercise, or regimen that develops or improves a skill; training.

   Sticking to specific and regular mealtimes is excellent discipline for many dieters.

3. a branch of instruction or learning.

   the disciplines of history and economics.

4. punishment inflicted by way of correction and training.

   Synonyms:

   castigation, chastisement

5. the rigor or training effect of experience, adversity, etc..

   the harsh discipline of poverty.

6. behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and order maintained by training and control.

   good discipline in an army.

7. a set or system of rules and regulations.

8. Ecclesiastical. the system of government regulating the practice of a church as distinguished from its doctrine.

9. an instrument of punishment, especially a whip or scourge, used in the practice of self-mortification or as an instrument of chastisement in certain religious communities.

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verb (used with object)

disciplines, present (3rd person singular) disciplined, past participle, past disciplining present participle

1. to train by instruction and exercise; drill.

2. to bring to a state of order and obedience by training and control.

3. to punish or penalize in order to train and control; correct; chastise.

discipline British  

/ ˈdɪsɪˌplɪnəl, ˈdɪsɪplɪn, ˌdɪsɪˈplaɪnəl /

noun

1. training or conditions imposed for the improvement of physical powers, self-control, etc

2. systematic training in obedience to regulations and authority

3. the state of improved behaviour, etc, resulting from such training or conditions

4. punishment or chastisement

5. a system of rules for behaviour, methods of practice, etc

6. a branch of learning or instruction

7. the laws governing members of a Church

8. a scourge of knotted cords

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verb

1. to improve or attempt to improve the behaviour, orderliness, etc, of by training, conditions, or rules

2. to punish or correct

Synonym Usage

See punish.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• discipliner
  noun
• multidiscipline
  noun
• prediscipline
  noun
• subdiscipline
  noun
• overdiscipline
  verb
• rediscipline
  verb (used with object)
• disciplinable
  adjective
• disciplinal
  adjective
• nondisciplining
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• disciplines
  plural

Participles

• disciplining
  present
• disciplined
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• discipline
  simple
• disciplines
  simple
• have disciplined
  perfect
• has disciplined
  perfect
• am disciplining
  progressive
• are disciplining
  progressive
• is disciplining
  progressive
• have been disciplining
  perfect progressive
• has been disciplining
  perfect progressive

Past

• disciplined
  simple
• had disciplined
  perfect
• was disciplining
  progressive
• were disciplining
  progressive
• had been disciplining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will discipline
  simple
• will have disciplined
  perfect
• will be disciplining
  progressive
• will have been disciplining
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of discipline

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin disciplīna “instruction, tuition,” equivalent to discipul(us) “pupil, learner, trainee” + -ina noun suffix; see origin at disciple; see -ine ²

Explanation

When you have discipline, you have self-control. When you discipline children, you are either teaching them to be well-behaved, or you are punishing and correcting them. The origins of this word offer great clues about its current meanings. The Old French descepline referred to punishment and suffering. The Latin disciplina meant "teaching, learning." The Old English version referred to a branch of knowledge or field of study (so if you're really good at word origins, you might want to make etymology your discipline). Developing discipline as a form of training is a military concept that's more than 500 years old.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

discipline disciplines disciplined disciplining

“Agentic AI trading automates the active, complex work, multistep trades, strategy switching, custom position sizing. That’s not automating discipline; that’s automating action. Not the same thing.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Management is guiding for stable-to-improving return on equity, driven by a stronger focus on higher-return businesses, while maintaining cost discipline with a cost-to-income ratio in the low- to mid-40%, the analyst notes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Jackson, 27, could still face discipline from the NFL if the league determines that he violated its personal conduct policy for the second time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Morocco have looked every bit the solid contenders throughout this tournament, standing up to some of world football's heavyweights with confidence, discipline and belief.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Before the demonstrators left St. Joseph’s Church, Fuller and Ruffin stressed the need for discipline.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

At ZOS, Goin estimates some disciplines have been reduced to a quarter of what they were before.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

The MoD said the roles would cover disciplines from data and modelling to project management.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Armed with this infusion of activity across various disciplines, the couple is inspired to continue to shake their way out of the past.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

Now cloning is becoming more popular in other disciplines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

He would be a perfect father, this man of careful disciplines.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

As long as these specialized parts makers can keep charging higher prices and stay disciplined on production, investors should be willing to pay a premium for their shares.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

While other teams have relied on moments of individual brilliance, Spain have quietly impressed through their disciplined, well-structured system.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

We have already seen this disciplined, patient strategy put into practice.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

And Constellation’s Fink suggested Wednesday that the company would take a disciplined approach to selling more nonalcoholic drinks as it figures out patterns in demand and consumption.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 3, 2026

In the Adams formulation, aristocracies were to society as the passions were to the individual personality, permanent fixtures susceptible to disciplined containment and artful channeling, but never altogether removable.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

The solicitors firm added that the ambulance trust was "not formally disciplining" staff but had "strengthened their HR process for future incidents".

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Rate hikes aimed at disciplining speculation can do more than cool the room.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026

“By arresting Villarreal, rather than solely disciplining the employee for any wrongdoing, county officials took this ‘everyday journalism’ and transformed it ‘into a crime,’ ” she wrote.

From Slate ● Mar. 26, 2026

Schools have also become much more lenient in disciplining students.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026

She was having a hard time disciplining us, and a big man’s presence alone would help.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Related Words

• control
• development
• education
• method
• practice
• preparation
• regulation
• restraint
• self-control
• self-restraint
• will