TOP

Definition of penalize verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

penalize

verb
 
/ˈpiːnəlaɪz/
 
/ˈpiːnəlaɪz/
(British English also penalise)
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they penalize
 
/ˈpiːnəlaɪz/
 
/ˈpiːnəlaɪz/
he / she / it penalizes
 
/ˈpiːnəlaɪzɪz/
 
/ˈpiːnəlaɪzɪz/
past simple penalized
 
/ˈpiːnəlaɪzd/
 
/ˈpiːnəlaɪzd/
past participle penalized
 
/ˈpiːnəlaɪzd/
 
/ˈpiːnəlaɪzd/
-ing form penalizing
 
/ˈpiːnəlaɪzɪŋ/
 
/ˈpiːnəlaɪzɪŋ/
jump to other results
  1. penalize somebody (for something) to punish somebody for breaking a rule or law by making them suffer a disadvantage
    • You will be penalized for poor spelling.
    Extra Examples
    • Students will be penalized for mistakes in spelling and grammar.
    • The law is designed to reward those who conserve and penalize those who pollute.
    Topics Crime and punishmentc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • heavily
    • severely
    • unfairly
    preposition
    • for
    See full entry
  2. to punish somebody for breaking a rule in a sport or game by giving an advantage to their opponent
    • penalize somebody (for something) He was penalized for time-wasting.
    • penalize something Foul play will be severely penalized.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • heavily
    • severely
    • unfairly
    preposition
    • for
    See full entry
  3. penalize somebody to put somebody at a disadvantage by treating them unfairly
    • The new law appears to penalize the poorest members of society.
    • He felt penalized because of his age.
    Extra Examples
    • He claims that he was unfairly penalized.
    • It is wrong for women to be financially penalized when they have children.
    • Under the tax, each adult in the household had to pay, which penalized larger families.
    • Will he be penalized for absence due to ill health?
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • heavily
    • severely
    • unfairly
    preposition
    • for
    See full entry
See penalize in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee penalize in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
hat-trick
noun
 
 
From the Topic
Sports
C2
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day