Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

penalty

 - definition
 
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
noun [countable] American English pronunciation: penalty /ˈpen(ə)lti/ 
Word Forms
Close
singularpenalty
pluralpenalties
  1. 1
    a punishment for breaking a rule or law
    penalty for:

    The maximum penalty for the offense is two years' imprisonment.

    severe/heavy/stiff/tough penalties:

    There are severe penalties for companies who breach environmental laws.

    Under the law the president is able to impose tough penalties.

    carry a penalty:

    The crime carries a much heavier penalty in the U.S.

    1. a.
      a punishment for breaking a rule in a game, sport, or activity

      Riders can incur time penalties for knocking over barriers.

  2. 2
    something bad that happens to you because of your behavior or position in society
    penalty of/for:

    Increased risk of skin cancer is one of the penalties of sunbathing.

    pay the penalty (for something) (=to suffer because of your behavior):

    Some farmers are paying the penalty for not watering crops sufficiently in hot weather.

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

proton

the part of the nucleus of an atom that has a positive electrical charge

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog