penalize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to subject to a penalty, as a person.
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to declare (an action, deed, etc.) punishable by law or rule.
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to put under a disadvantage or handicap.
verb
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to impose a penalty on (someone), as for breaking a law or rule
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to inflict a handicap or disadvantage on
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sport to award a free stroke, point, or penalty against (a player or team)
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to declare (an act) legally punishable; make subject to a penalty
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of penalize
Explanation
When you penalize someone, you punish them. A traffic cop will usually penalize a speeder with an expensive ticket. A court might penalize a criminal with fines or time in prison, while a frustrated teacher is more likely to penalize the class clown with detention. Sports referees frequently penalize players by allowing the opposing team an advantage of some sort, like a penalty kick in soccer or a free throw in basketball. Penalize is rooted in penal, or "pertaining to punishment." The Greek root is poine, "penalty, punishment, or blood money."
Vocabulary lists containing penalize
Game Changer
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New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964), 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.
Yet when adults drop out of the workforce to have babies, or future workers, we penalize them by refusing to credit those years toward their own Social Security payments.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
He spearheaded the concept of “secondary sanctions” to penalize even non-U.S. firms for doing business with the regime, angering Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2026
If they violate their trade pacts, Washington could also further penalize them under well-established laws.
From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026
“The goal was never to penalize an individual who’s unhoused,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026
I hurry toward the Parker House, hoping I can get downtown and into the kitchen before they notice me missing and penalize me for being late.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
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.
