garnishment

noun

gar·​nish·​ment ˈgär-nish-mənt 

1

: ornament, garnish

2

: a legal summons or warning concerning the attachment of property to satisfy a debt

3

: a stoppage of a specified sum from wages to satisfy a creditor or a legal obligation (such as child support)

Synonyms

• adornment
• beautifier
• caparison
• decoration
• doodad
• embellisher
• embellishment
• frill
• garnish
• garniture
• ornament
• ornamentation
• setoff
• trim

Examples of garnishment in a Sentence

a high-end caterer whose dishes feature an array of over-the-top garnishments

Recent Examples on the Web

Notices to lien or levy accounts, for example, are time-sensitive, and requiring long wait times can put taxpayers at risk of wage or account garnishment. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

Likewise, where the debtor's wages are involved, a creditor may garnish those wages by having a writ of garnishment served upon the employer and then the non-exempt amount of the debtor's wages are then ultimately paid over to the creditor. —Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024

Democratic Representatives John Larson of Connecticut, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and several cosponsors have reintroduced the Protection of Social Security Benefits Restoration Act to safeguard benefits from garnishment. —Next Avenue, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024

Three days after that, on April 15, the creditor again called the garnishment department to check up on things, but an employee of that department indicated that Chase Bank would need ten business days to respond to the notice of levy. —Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

(sense 1) garnish entry 1 + -ment; (senses 2 & 3) borrowed from Anglo-French garnissement "warning, notification, notification concerning the attachment of property to satisfy a debt," from garniss-, stem of garnir "to give notice, warn, give legal summons" + -ment -ment — more at garnish entry 1

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

garnishment

noun

gar·​nish·​ment ˈgär-nish-mənt 

: a remedial device used by a creditor to have property of the debtor or money owed to the debtor that is in the possession of a third party attached to pay the debt to the creditor

specifically : attachment of the debtor's wages to satisfy a judgment compare wage assignment at assignment