sentence 1 of 2

as in ruling
a decision made by a court or tribunal regarding a case it has heard he received a light sentence because it was his first offense and he was an otherwise upstanding citizen

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sentence

2 of 2

verb

as in to condemn
to impose a judicial punishment on the judge sentenced him to a fine of $50 and time served

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sentence
Noun
Madoff died in 2021 at the age of 81 while serving a 150-year sentence at the federal medical care center in a North Carolina federal prison. Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2025 If convicted, both Wellesley and Burton face prison sentences of up to 20 years. Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
Verb
Epstein's former girlfriend and associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was sentenced in 2022 for aiding Epstein in the trafficking of minors and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025 As a part of the plea deal, the former criminology Ph.D. student will be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences on the four first-degree murder counts and the maximum penalty of 10 years on the burglary count. Alex Stone, ABC News, 17 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for sentence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sentence
Noun
  • Many experts said the ruling could harm the country's most vulnerable children.
    Arthur Jones II, ABC News, 15 July 2025
  • If Bell grants the teams a TRO, NASCAR will appeal the ruling to the Fourth Circuit and hope for another win at the appellate court.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • For instance, hundreds of political and civil rights activists—many of whom have been previously imprisoned—condemned Israel’s attacks in a joint statement.
    MOHAMMAD AYATOLLAHI TABAAR, Foreign Affairs, 8 July 2025
  • An outspoken progressive, Ruffalo frequently condemns the Trump administration's raids, which began in June.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 8 July 2025
Noun
  • Erin, who had been awaiting the verdict at the courthouse since deliberations began on Thursday, openly wept upon hearing the verdict of the first count read aloud.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2025
  • In the verdict’s wake, the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA) solidified an alliance with USA Gymnastics to officially sanction its competitions.
    Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • This punishes exposure but doesn’t reward preparedness.
    Felicia Jackson, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
  • Świątek, 24, took an early lead in the competition, and continued at a punishing pace to secure a 6-0, 6-0 win in less than an hour of gameplay.
    Alana Wise, NPR, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • This, in turn, makes the races – which players are doomed to watch without being able to influence what's happening – all the more thrilling.
    Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025
  • History has proven time and again, such initiatives are doomed to fail and a colossal waste of money.
    Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 17 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sentence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sentence. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.

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