# fines

/ˈfaɪnz/ (US) · /fˈaɪnz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/fines
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. money paid as punishment

noun · CEFR B1

amounts of money that you have to pay because you have broken a law or a rule.

For teachers: financial penalties imposed by a court or other authority for a specific offence or breach of regulation.

- The city collected thousands of dollars in parking fines last month.
- The regulatory body imposed heavy fines on the corporation after discovering systematic violations of environmental safety protocols.

Usage: Usually used in the plural when referring to a general collection of penalties.

### 2. small particles

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

very small pieces of something, like dust, sand, or crushed stone.

For teachers: minute particles of a material, often produced during industrial processing or found at the bottom of a container.

- The gold miner used a special screen to separate the tiny fines from the larger rocks.
- The presence of excessive coal fines in the air posed a significant respiratory risk to the workers in the processing plant.

Usage: Almost exclusively used in the plural in industrial or geological contexts.

### 3. to charge money for a rule break

verb · CEFR B1

to make someone pay money as a punishment.

For teachers: to impose a financial penalty on someone for an infraction. Transitive — takes a direct object of the person or entity being punished.

- The library fines students if they return their books late.
- The referee fines players who demonstrate unsportsmanlike conduct during the match to maintain professional standards.

## Examples

- He had to pay several fines for speeding last month.
- The city council increased the fines for littering to discourage people from leaving trash in public parks.
- While some argue that flat-rate fines unfairly burden the poor, others maintain they are a necessary deterrent for maintaining public order and safety.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.