under pain of
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They all listened as the sergeant at arms announced “hear ye, hear ye, all persons are commanded to keep silent under pain of imprisonment” during the course of the impeachment trial.
From Slate ● Apr. 19, 2024
Some universities require students to sign a sworn statement that they are telling the truth, under pain of prosecution.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 16, 2018
Lawyers are officers of the court and cannot make false statements of fact, under pain of sanctions.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 8, 2016
Sometimes this is a matter of people being forced to work for nothing under pain of having their benefits stopped.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 8, 2012
Here at The Mecca, under pain of selection, we have made a home.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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.
