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
Half would be for defamation and past and future damages to the plaintiff, and the remaining $5 million would be in punitive damages.
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Isabella Cueto and Angus Chen, STAT, 21 June 2024
The complaint accused Nunn of libel and intentional infliction of emotional distress and demanded a retraction and a financial judgment, including punitive damages.
—Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2024
The jury proposed $900 million in punitive damages to deter this from happening again in the future.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 20 June 2024
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and an order barring SpaceX from continuing to engage in its allegedly unlawful conduct.
—Daniel Wiessner, USA TODAY, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for punitive damages 
Isabella Cueto and Angus Chen, STAT, 21 June 2024
The complaint accused Nunn of libel and intentional infliction of emotional distress and demanded a retraction and a financial judgment, including punitive damages.
—Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2024
The jury proposed $900 million in punitive damages to deter this from happening again in the future.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 20 June 2024
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and an order barring SpaceX from continuing to engage in its allegedly unlawful conduct.
—Daniel Wiessner, USA TODAY, 12 June 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.
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Cite this Entry
“Punitive damages.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punitive%20damages. Accessed 5 Jul. 2024.
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