compensatory damages
noun
: money awarded to a victim to make up for an injury, damage, etc.
The patient sued for compensatory damages.
Examples of compensatory damages in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The suit accuses the former clerk of violating Murdaugh’s right to a fair trial and seeks punitive and compensatory damages, as well as $600,000 of attorneys’ fees.
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Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
The suit seeks compensatory damages in excess of $25,000, punitive damages sufficient to deter future similar conduct and attorney’s fees.
—Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
The lawsuit does not specify the amount Santana and Smith are seeking in damages, but the filing requests compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney fees, a public retraction, and a correction.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
The verdict included $31 million in compensatory damages — $15 million for past mental anguish, $5 million for future mental anguish, $5 million for past impairment, $5 million for future impairment, and $1 million for past pain.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 May 2026
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Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
The suit seeks compensatory damages in excess of $25,000, punitive damages sufficient to deter future similar conduct and attorney’s fees.
—Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
The lawsuit does not specify the amount Santana and Smith are seeking in damages, but the filing requests compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney fees, a public retraction, and a correction.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
The verdict included $31 million in compensatory damages — $15 million for past mental anguish, $5 million for future mental anguish, $5 million for past impairment, $5 million for future impairment, and $1 million for past pain.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for compensatory damages
Cite this Entry
“Compensatory damages.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compensatory%20damages. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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