penalty box

[ pen-l-tee boks ]

/ ˈpɛn l ti ˌbɒks /

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noun

Ice Hockey. an enclosed space adjacent to the rink for penalized players, the penalty timekeeper, the game timekeeper, and the official scorer: Prior to 1963, there was only one penalty box in each of the six NHL arenas.

a temporary punishment: I can’t go because I’ve been sent to the penalty box for missing another curfew. When we send our son to the penalty box, he knows to go straight to his room.

a chastisement or humiliation: If you dare voice an opposing opinion at these meetings, you end up in the penalty box.

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Origin of penalty box

First recorded in 1910–15

Words nearby penalty box

penal code, penalize, penal servitude, penalty, penalty area, penalty box, penalty corner, penalty double, penalty kick, penalty killer, penalty point

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use penalty box in a sentence

Kamara had space inside the penalty box and quickly capitalized with a goal in the 15th minute.
At long last, D.C. United’s attack breaks through in 3-0 win over Inter Miami|Emily Giambalvo|May 30, 2021|Washington Post
The league’s Thursday announcement went a step further to that end with the removal of the plexiglass from behind the penalty box.
NHL adds game-day rapid testing to coronavirus protocols|Samantha Pell|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
The only great thing he did as governor was to insist that the death penalty was just wrong.
Mario Cuomo: An OK Governor, but a Far Better Person|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He rebuffed calls to institute the death penalty, and his last term as governor ended in his defeat.
Mario Cuomo, a Frustrating Hero to Democrats, Is Dead at 82|Eleanor Clift|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Last summer, Louisiana also banned non-legal adoption, with offenders facing a penalty of $5,000 and up to five years in prison.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking|Tina Traster|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In response to the screen quota cut, South Korea established a “cinema tax” on the box office.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He goes into some detail into what it took to persuade voters to pass marriage equality at the ballot box in four states in 2012.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality|E.J. Graff|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Beside her was a box of bonbons, which she held out at intervals to Madame Ratignolle.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
But a little earlier still, to be an Infidel was to be an outlaw, subject to the penalty of death.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
Now and then the boy who had bought Squinty, and who was taking him home, would look around at his pet in the slatted box.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
The little pig in the box felt himself being lifted out of the wagon.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
Mrs. Newbolt was cutting splints for her new sun-bonnet out of a pasteboard box.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden

British Dictionary definitions for penalty box

penalty box

noun

soccer another name for penalty area

ice hockey a bench for players serving time penalties

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012