Idiom idiom
just deserts
Meaning
A punishment or reward that is considered to be what the recipient deserved.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The thief got his just deserts when the police caught him.”
“After years of cheating customers, the dishonest businessman finally received his just deserts when his company collapsed.”
“The corrupt official, who had embezzled millions from public funds, looked stunned when the judge pronounced his sentence, as if he had never expected to face his just deserts.”
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026