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Synonyms

throw the book at

Idioms  

  1. Punish or reprimand severely, as in I just knew the professor would throw the book at me for being late with my paper. This expression originally meant “sentence a convicted person to the maximum penalties allowed,” the book being the roster of applicable laws. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s.

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.

“My guess is that they will throw the book at them,” LeoGrande said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

She urged the judge to throw the book at Martin because he “is not fit to live in society.”

From Seattle Times • Dec. 20, 2023

“That will only work when you’ve got bodies like Ribble Valley being proactive and saying, ‘If you mess around with them, we’ll throw the book at you,’ ” he added.

From Washington Post • Mar. 17, 2023

I hope they throw the book at him because he demonstrated dishonesty and utter lack of humility every day thereafter.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2023

Some day I'll throw the book at you.

From The Luck of the Mounted A Tale of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police by Kendall, Ralph S.

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.