garnishment
Americannoun
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garnishments
plural
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Law.
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a warning, served on a third party to hold, subject to the court's direction, money or property belonging to a debtor who is being sued by a creditor.
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a summons to a third party to appear in litigation pending between a creditor and debtor.
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adornment or decoration.
noun
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the act of garnishing
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decoration or embellishment; garnish
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law
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a notice or warning
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obsolete a summons to court proceedings already in progress
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a notice warning a person holding money or property belonging to a debtor whose debt has been attached to hold such property until directed by the court to apply it
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of garnishment
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:
But when child support is set through a court order or a child-support agency, there are legal avenues to address missed payments, including wage garnishment.
From MarketWatch ● May 16, 2026
“That garnishment actually pushed me below minimum wage. How was that legal?”
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
Their wages start taking a hit, and then they find a way to get out of garnishment.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
But that will likely change starting in 2026, given the Education Department’s announcement that it’s restarting wage garnishment.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 30, 2025
The Roman god of wine, frequently invoked in the garnishment of Latin and Italian speech.
From Browning's Shorter Poems by Baker, Franklin T. (Franklin Thomas)
From what I’ve read, bankruptcy is generally intended for more severe financial situations involving lawsuits, wage garnishments or collection actions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
The department has since reversed course, delaying the garnishments.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
Last year it was ordered to pay a $10 million civil penalty over unlawful garnishments.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 11, 2023
The increasing number of lawsuits that hospitals file against patients to collect debt, which can lead to legal fees or wage garnishments, are not included in the figure.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2021
For that reason we boys lost interest in the man as well as his garnishments.
From Reveries of a Schoolmaster by Pearson, Francis B.
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.
