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

Poor discipline was a major factor in the four-match losing run that resulted in a fifth-placed finish in the Six Nations and Borthwick's position as head coach coming under scrutiny.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Success depends on discipline, teamwork, emotional control, respect for others and adherence to the rules of the game.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

At the summit, the discipline that got you up the mountain is the very thing that can strand you on it.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026

That knowledge won’t stay in the stadiums and locker rooms for long, expanding to others who choose to adopt the same wellness discipline as professional athletes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

But regaining self-control, he made it clear that he wasn’t a puffin who compromised on discipline.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

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

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

"Only when both disciplines work closely together can a reliable disease mechanism be derived from a genetic variant."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 13, 2026

It is banned in thoroughbred racing and competitors in other disciplines are divided, with some saying it creates unrealistic expectations and stifles advances in breeding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

The new union would cover more than 2,700 full-time, part-time and adjunct faculty across hundreds of disciplines in 22 schools and the USC libraries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

He hoped that Haiti would provide him field opportunities to integrate the two disciplines and to make sure this was the career he really wanted.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

“We put a much more disciplined approach in eliminating or reducing traveled work, not moving the airplane if it adds any kind of a safety or quality risk,” Ortberg said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 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

Under coach Sergej Barbarez, a former professional poker player, the gritty Bosnians rarely gamble, instead playing a disciplined and physical style that emphasizes compactness and swift counterattacks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

True wealth is only established after you’ve disciplined yourself to invest in assets that generate enough income to cover your expenses.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

The IMF, the one body charged with disciplining imbalances, has no means to do so.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

But it has no say in the disciplining of the department’s sworn and civilian employees — a role that falls to the police chief.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 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

It didn’t bother her that when Miss Beatty showed up to observe Mom’s class, Mom started yelling at Lori to prove to Miss Beatty that she was capable of disciplining her students.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Related Words

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