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 The agency lacks the authority to hold impose penalties for unfair labor practices or make companies pay punitive damages. —

Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 6 Sep. 2024 The jury decided that Trump’s statements were made to harm Carroll and awarded her $65 million in punitive damages. —

Brooke Singman, Fox News, 6 Sep. 2024 In April, he was ordered by a judge in Oklahoma to pay $10.8 million to a bank teller for injuries and punitive damages sustained during the Bixby robbery. —

Rishikesh Rajagopalan, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2024 In addition to the original reimbursement demand, Waymo is seeking about $137,000 in punitive damages from Piterman. —

Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 23 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for punitive damages

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'punitive damages.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1858, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of punitive damages was in 1858

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Punitive damages.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punitive%20damages. Accessed 23 Sep. 2024.

Copy Citation