discipline
Americannoun
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disciplines
plural
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training to act in accordance with rules; drill.
military discipline.
-
an activity, exercise, or regimen that develops or improves a skill; training.
Sticking to specific and regular mealtimes is excellent discipline for many dieters.
-
a branch of instruction or learning.
the disciplines of history and economics.
-
punishment inflicted by way of correction and training.
- Synonyms:
- castigation, chastisement
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the rigor or training effect of experience, adversity, etc..
the harsh discipline of poverty.
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behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and order maintained by training and control.
good discipline in an army.
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a set or system of rules and regulations.
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Ecclesiastical. the system of government regulating the practice of a church as distinguished from its doctrine.
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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.
verb (used with object)
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disciplines,
present (3rd person singular)
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disciplined,
past participle, past
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disciplining
present participle
noun
-
training or conditions imposed for the improvement of physical powers, self-control, etc
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systematic training in obedience to regulations and authority
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the state of improved behaviour, etc, resulting from such training or conditions
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punishment or chastisement
-
a system of rules for behaviour, methods of practice, etc
-
a branch of learning or instruction
-
the laws governing members of a Church
-
a scourge of knotted cords
verb
-
to improve or attempt to improve the behaviour, orderliness, etc, of by training, conditions, or rules
-
to punish or correct
Synonym Usage
See punish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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disciplinernoun
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multidisciplinenoun
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predisciplinenoun
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subdisciplinenoun
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overdisciplineverb
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redisciplineverb (used with object)
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disciplinableadjective
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disciplinaladjective
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nondiscipliningadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disciplinesimple
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disciplinessimple
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have disciplinedperfect
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has disciplinedperfect
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am discipliningprogressive
-
are discipliningprogressive
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is discipliningprogressive
-
have been discipliningperfect progressive
-
has been discipliningperfect progressive
Past
-
disciplinedsimple
-
had disciplinedperfect
-
was discipliningprogressive
-
were discipliningprogressive
-
had been discipliningperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing discipline
The Outsiders
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 3
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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.
See Examples For:
That is not the same thing as military discipline.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
They said the agency at the time opted against tough discipline for controllers, in part because managers condoned the early shoves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
York still could face discipline from the NFL.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
In an email to team managers seen by the BBC, the Central Scotland Football Association said it had accrued a "long list" of discipline issues "which have no place in grassroots football".
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
What is new is the transfer of concepts from one discipline to another.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
A new bachelor’s degree in digital humanities will teach students how to integrate AI and digital tools into disciplines including sociology, archaeology, history, and the study of race and gender.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Those disciplines are integral to public health, not beneath or beside it.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
Developing the treatment required scientists from several disciplines to work together, including specialists in microbiology, synthetic biology, oncology, and immunology.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
The tried and true disciplines — diversification across and within asset classes and periodic rebalancing — do not make headlines.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Countless amateur thinkers took a crack at the problem, as did anthropologists and archaeologists when those disciplines were invented.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
"It will require rule of law, restraint, honest communication, disciplined leadership, and institutions that can still listen," Rwabwogo said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Novartis offers a look at a buyer that has grown more disciplined over time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
"They outplayed us in all facets, they were patient and disciplined," said Cummins.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Early this month, a dejected Betts had as tough a time explaining to reporters why, despite hitting the ball hard and stacking disciplined at-bats, he’d had little to show for it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
He told me those others, behind them, weren’t disciplined.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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
The State Bar hated the news conference, disciplining the duo for what they considered an act of unethical and distasteful advertising.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2026
“My mother did most of the disciplining, and she was the one that always said no.”
From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson
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.
