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

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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

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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

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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 penalties Part of the reform focused on eliminating misdemeanor criminal penalties, arrests and jail time for unlicensed mobile food vendors and replacing them with civil violations and fines. — Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026 Parents or guardians of minors could be held responsible for administrative penalties, but could not be held criminally responsible. — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2026 Another bill, Menin said, would pay whistleblowers a significant amount of penalties. — Ian Thomas,colleen McKown, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026 During the campaign, Lula sought to address those concerns by proposing a ban on sports betting, announcing a debt renegotiation program and backing tougher penalties for minors who commit crimes. — Catherine Osborn, NPR, 26 Oct. 2026 In March 2000, Albany State was handed a two-year ban on playing postseason football as part of a list of penalties handed out by the NCAA. — Mcclain Baxley For The Ajc, AJC.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Bolsonaro, meanwhile, campaigned on harsher criminal penalties, tougher policing, lower taxes, and cuts to government spending. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 26 Oct. 2026 Defensive tackle Karl Brooks, who was called for one of those roughing penalties, declined to speak with reporters after the game. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penalties
  1. fines
  2. punishments
  3. disadvantages
  4. expenses
Noun
  • In September, the Australian government increased the fines for noncompliant social media firms.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The major data privacy scandal sparked more scrutiny of Facebook and led to lawsuits, congressional hearings and multibillion-dollar fines.
    — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 21 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
  • Koppie reported raising exactly enough to cover his campaign’s expenses of less than $3,000 from July through September, most of it out of his own pocket.
    — Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The analysis did not separately calculate the administrator’s share of those expenses.
    — Natalie Jones, Baltimore Sun, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of expenses

Browse Nearby Words

penalizing
penalties
penalty
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Cite this Entry

“Penalties.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penalties. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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