ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sentenced

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈsɛntənst// UK //sˈɛntənst// sen·tenced

v. to be given a formal punishment by a judge in a court of law. This happens after a person is found guilty of a crime.

v. to be formally assigned a specific punishment by a judicial authority following a conviction. Often used in the passive voice to focus on the recipient of the legal penalty.


SIMPLE

The judge sentenced the thief to three years in prison.

CONTEXTUAL

After the jury delivered a guilty verdict, the defendant was sentenced to community service and a heavy fine.

COMPLEX

The magistrate sentenced the offender to the maximum term allowed by law, citing the severity of the crime and a lack of remorse during the trial.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and typically takes a direct object (the person) followed by a prepositional phrase starting with 'to'.

Pitfall

He was sentenced for five years.He was sentenced to five years.When describing the duration or type of punishment, the verb takes the preposition 'to', not 'for'.

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