penalty
n. countablen. a punishment for breaking a rule or a law. In sports or business, it often means paying money or losing an advantage because you did something wrong.
n. a punishment imposed for breaking a law, rule, or contract. Often involves a financial fine or a disadvantage in a competitive context.
The company had to pay a heavy penalty for late taxes.
If you withdraw your savings before the agreed date, the bank will charge a significant early-withdrawal penalty.
Regulatory bodies have increased the financial penalty for data breaches to ensure that corporations prioritize the security of sensitive user information.
From Middle French pénalité, from pénal, from Latin poenālis, from poena, borrowing of Ancient Greek ποινή (poinḗ), from Proto-Hellenic kʷoinā́, from Proto-Indo-European kʷoynéh₂, comprising kʷey- + -néh₂.
Commonly used with the verbs 'pay', 'impose', or 'incur'.
He received a penalty of his mistakeHe received a penalty for his mistakeThe noun penalty takes the preposition 'for' to indicate the reason for the punishment.
- 01
marriage penalty
A situation where a married couple pays more in taxes, typically income taxes, when filing jointly, than the two individuals would pay if filing as singles separately.
- 02
pay the penalty
To incur negative consequences of one's deeds; to suffer as a result of some choice.
- 03
penalty box
A temporary punishment, or, metaphorically, a similar setback (e.g., loss of control, embarrassment, etc.).