penalty Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the act of punishing
    punishment; penalization; penalisation.
  2. noun a payment required for not fulfilling a contract
  3. noun the disadvantage or painful consequences of an action or condition
    • neglected his health and paid the penalty
  4. noun (games) a handicap or disadvantage that is imposed on a competitor (or a team) for an infraction of the rules of the game

WordNet

Pe"nal*ty noun
Etymology
F. pénalité. See Penal.
Wordforms
plural Penalties
Definitions
  1. Penal retribution; punishment for crime or offense; the suffering in person or property which is annexed by law or judicial decision to the commission of a crime, offense, or trespass.
    Death is the penalty imposed. Milton.
  2. The suffering, or the sum to be forfeited, to which a person subjects himself by covenant or agreement, in case of nonfulfillment of stipulations; forfeiture; fine.
    The penalty and forfeit of my bond. Shak.
  3. A handicap. Sporting Cant ✍ The term penalty is in law mostly applied to a pecuniary punishment.

Webster 1913