Eighth Amendment
Americannoun
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.
It would simply require the punishment to answer to the crime, which is all the Eighth Amendment has ever asked of anyone.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
The excessive fines clause is the neglected middle child of the Eighth Amendment, wedged between excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment, and almost never litigated.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
The High Court declined to address in Tyler whether the Eighth Amendment applies to economic penalties, including home seizures to pay tax liens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
Isabella County, many other state and local governments and the Justice Department have pushed back hard against this argument, saying the Eighth Amendment doesn’t apply to penalties unrelated to crimes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
In each case, the high court had cited the Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution, which bans “cruel and unusual” punishment.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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.
