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.
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
Yunus is forbidden under pain of arrest and incarceration from ever coming within 1,000 feet of any school grounds.
From The Guardian • Oct. 1, 2018
Lawyers are officers of the court and cannot make false statements of fact, under pain of sanctions.
From Washington Post • Mar. 8, 2016
But the law should also require the suspect to answer all questions under pain of contempt—meaning he can be jailed if he refuses—and under penalty of perjury.
From Slate • Apr. 22, 2013
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.
