sentences 1 of 2

noun

plural of sentence
as in rulings
a decision made by a court or tribunal regarding a case it has heard he received a light sentence because it was his first offense and he was an otherwise upstanding citizen

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sentences

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of sentence
as in condemns
to impose a judicial punishment on the judge sentenced him to a fine of $50 and time served

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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 sentences
Noun
Three men in Mexico received 158-year prison sentences Friday for the murders of Australian surfers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend Carter Redd Rhoad. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026 Trump had called for the leakers to face long-term jail sentences. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 The idea that criminals could serve sentences behind bars was a more progressive approach to justice in comparison. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026 If found guilty on the five counts of bank fraud (which have maximum sentences of 30 years each), and the ID theft she was charged with in 2018, McDonnell could be facing 154 years behind bars. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 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 The sentences, packed with jargon, beat me down with their elaborate banality. — Max Callimanopulos, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026 The recruitment pipeline Cohen's and Gur's prison sentences may not have been a lasting deterrent for store owners or prospective salespeople. — Monika Evstatieva, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026 Newsom, who is term-limited, has discussed with his advisors reducing death row inmates’ sentences to life in prison without parole as one of his final acts in office, according to the New York Times. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
Lench ruled at the time that Weinstein cannot serve his New York and Los Angeles sentences concurrently. — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026 Then with Lee, in the timeline closest to our present day, her heartbreaking, hard-to-stomach testimony means nothing to a callous judge who sentences her to death three times over. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2026 Courts have upheld both inmates’ sentences Duckett and Occhicone were both convicted by juries, and appellate courts have denied multiple attempts to overturn their death sentences – although Duckett has maintained his innocence. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 26 July 2026 The founder's name anchors sentences about the company's achievements. — Joseph Byrum, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 On March 30, a Paris court convicts Le Pen and other National Rally officials of misusing European Parliament funds, sentences her to prison and bars her from seeking public office for five years with immediate effect. — ABC News, 6 July 2026 A student can ask what claim the file appears to make, where the evidence is thin, which sentences sound inflated, and which lines could have been written by almost any strong applicant. — Gerald Bradshaw, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026 Charming sentences to find in a book by the sitting vice president of the United States! — Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026 The case now goes to a hearing scheduled for June 1, where his attorneys will be allowed to argue his life be spared before Munyon formally sentences him. — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sentences
  1. rulings
  2. condemns
  3. findings
  4. punishes
  5. verdicts
  6. dooms
Noun
  • The evidence is in statements, rulings, orders and outright anger during hearings.
    — Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Get timely insight into the cases, rulings, and constitutional questions defining America’s legal landscape.
    — Washington Examiner, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of rulings
Verb
  • The documentary condemns The Swan for manufacturing reality, while offering its own more morally satisfying reality.
    — Danielle Pergament, Allure, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The government silences critics, shuts down free press and condemns other political parties.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of condemns
Noun
  • Defense attorney Phil Barber said the findings could rule out certain individuals as contributors and may provide ancestry information, although the test cannot differentiate between men who share the same paternal ancestors.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The findings also differ from what researchers have observed in pond snails.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of findings
Verb
  • This type of leader isn’t likely to emerge in a political culture that rewards antics and showmanship and punishes seriousness and integrity.
    — Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 12 Oct. 2026
  • That timeline rewards commitment and punishes constant switching, which is how most routines fail.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of punishes
Noun
  • Kang also points to the pairing of family drama with a mystery that keeps forcing audiences to rethink both the characters and their own verdicts.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The verdicts followed a month-long trial that included testimony about one victim pleading for his life before the killings.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of verdicts
Verb
  • Despite some promise across its eight episodes, the Prime original series builds to a deflating conclusion that dooms the entire project.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Fans continue to ask Carney about Hadestown’s climactic moment, when Orpheus dooms Eurydice forever by turning to look at her on the road back from hell.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026
Definition of dooms

Browse Nearby Words

sentenced
sentences
sentencing
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Cite this Entry

“Sentences.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sentences. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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