penalties

noun

plural of penalty
1
as in fines
a sum of money to be paid as a punishment the penalty for speeding is $10 for every mile over the speed limit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in punishments
suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense in some cases, the new penalties for drug offenses were harsher than those for violent crimes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in disadvantages
the negative result caused by something that creates difficulty for achieving success suffered the penalty of his decision to leave school without graduating

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of penalties Regulators could go easy on a first significant violation, Cuban said, but should hit repeat offenders with much steeper penalties. — Emma Witman, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026 He was charged with voting as an alien in a federal election, a misdemeanor charge that carries penalties of as much as a year in prison or a fine as high as $100,000. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026 The other three Chinese entities facing penalties are linked to MiraclePlus. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 Perpetrators of animal cruelty could face greater penalties in the city of Miami under new proposals to crack down on animal abuse. — Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026 The Wild killed all five penalties against them and are 21 for 22 this season, the best penalty kill rate in the NHL. — CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 Special teams miscues and penalties once again hampered the Rams in a game that featured three touchdown passes by Matthew Stafford and a career-best 17 catches by Puka Nacua. — Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 Tools like administrative subpoenas and monetary penalties would require DOJ enforcement, the government attorney stated, while the agency launched an early renewal proceeding that included a public comment period. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penalties
  1. fines
  2. punishments
  3. disadvantages
  4. expenses
Noun
  • The fines on America's second-biggest bank amount to the third-largest in the department's history.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
  • In 2024, Indonesia revised its anti-wildlife trafficking law to bring in stricter fines and longer jail sentences.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fines
Noun
  • The punishments were carried out in public every Friday, after prayers.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Some of those students say the university found their attackers responsible for the assault – only to let them off the hook with light punishments.
    — Casey Tolan, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of punishments
Noun
  • Darman sketched out on paper a comparison of all the advantages and disadvantages of continuing to work at the Post while writing books, versus moving to TV.
    — Bob Woodward, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The advantages far, far outweigh the disadvantages, but the disadvantages at blue bloods are the outside noise is always going to be way over the top, no matter what’s happening.
    — Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of disadvantages
Noun
  • Viewed this way, protections such as immutable backups and isolated backup networks, often cut for budget reasons, look less like expenses and more like insurance against days of downtime.
    — Michael Wu, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • If a governor does not opt in, that state's taxpayers can still make donations to SGOs and receive the tax credit, but families in that state won't qualify for scholarships or vouchers to pay for educational expenses.
    — Cory Turner, NPR, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of expenses

Browse Nearby Words

penalizing
penalties
penalty
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Penalties.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penalties. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All