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# penalty

noun (a penalty, penalties)

«penalty» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A penalty is a punishment for breaking a rule or a law, such as paying money (a fine). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penalty/#m1)
2. In sports like football (soccer), rugby or hockey, a penalty is a free chance given to one team because the other team broke a rule; in football it is a shot at goal from a spot near the goal. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penalty/#m2)

### In the lessons

In sports lessons a penalty is a key rule idea: break a rule and your team loses something. In everyday life libraries, parking and tax offices charge penalties. Phrases: «take a penalty», «score a penalty», «a penalty shoot-out», «penalty kick», «on penalty of», «pay a penalty».

### Examples

- The referee gave our team a penalty. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penalty/#x1)
- She scored the penalty and we won 2–1. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penalty/#x2)
- The match ended in a penalty shoot-out. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penalty/#x3)
- There is a penalty for returning library books late. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penalty/#x4)
- Dropping litter can bring a penalty of fifty dollars. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penalty/#x5)
- In hockey a player who trips someone goes to the penalty box. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penalty/#x6)
- The penalty for cheating on the test was a zero. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penalty/#x7)
- And if he failed, his head would pay the penalty. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penalty/#x8)

### Note

Countable: penalty, penalties (y → ies). Stress on the first syllable: PEN-al-ty. The verb is «penalise» (UK) or «penalize» (US). In a maths problem a penalty usually means points or money taken away (subtract).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «penalty» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/penalty/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«penalty» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/penalty.html) on Mova free.