penalize
verb (used with object)
to subject to a penalty, as a person.
was penalizing
-
past progressiveof penalize.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Some authors believed that Amazon was penalizing them for having eager fans who rushed to review new releases too quickly; other authors believed that malicious actors had bought clickfarms to target those legitimate authors.
From The Verge ● Jul. 16, 2018
Essentially, the league was penalizing players who stuck out college.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 29, 2013
The White House and the State Department implied that the committee was penalizing a career diplomat for obeying his instructions.
From Time Magazine Archive
