punitive damages

plural noun

: damages awarded in excess of compensation to the plaintiff to punish a defendant for a serious wrong

Examples of punitive damages in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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If the court dismisses the lawsuit under Section 47.1, Baldoni and his co-defendants could be required to pay Lively’s legal fees, treble damages, and punitive damages. Elizabeth Rosner, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025 The jury awarded more than $400 million in punitive damages, which are intended to punish defendants for their conduct, according to Reuters. Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025 The jury also awarded an additional $550,000 in punitive damages, Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a news release Thursday. Terry Dickerson, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2025 The lawsuit is asking for compensatory damages and punitive damages of over $25,000. Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 18 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for punitive damages

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of punitive damages was in 1858

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Cite this Entry

“Punitive damages.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punitive%20damages. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.

Legal Definition

punitive damages

see damage sense 2

More from Merriam-Webster on punitive damages

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