Illustration of pillory
- pillory 1
plural pillories
1
: a device formerly used for publicly punishing offenders consisting of a wooden frame with holes in which the head and hands can be locked
2
: a means for exposing one to public scorn or ridicule
pilloried; pillorying
1
: to set in a pillory as punishment
2
: to expose to public contempt, ridicule, or scorn
Did you know?
In days gone by, criminals who got caught might well have found themselves in the stocks (which held the feet or both feet and hands) or a pillory. Both of those forms of punishment—and the words that name them—have been around since the Middle Ages. We latched onto pillory from the Anglo-French pilori, which has the same meaning as our English term but the exact origins of which are uncertain. For centuries, pillory referred only to the wooden frame used to hold a ne'er-do-well, but by the early 1600s, folks had turned the word into a verb for the act of putting someone in a pillory. Within a century, they had further expanded the verb to cover any process that led to as much public humiliation as being pilloried.
Examples of pillory in a Sentence
Verb
The press pilloried the judge for her decision.
Recent Examples on the Web
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 17 May 2026
On a plaza outside the courthouse, anti-billionaire demonstrators set up props most days to pillory either Musk, Altman or both.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 15 May 2026
Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
The acerbic toon has aired more than 330 episodes and pilloried scores of subjects and celebrities since its 1997 launch.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for pillory
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Noun
The 4% rule has drawn praise and pillory for years.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 17 May 2026
On a plaza outside the courthouse, anti-billionaire demonstrators set up props most days to pillory either Musk, Altman or both.
—David Ingram, NBC news, 15 May 2026
Verb
The franchise’s last movie, 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, was pilloried by critics and fans, though still managed to squeak past the $1 billion mark globally (people wanted to see how the Skywalker Saga story concluded, but were decidedly unimpressed with the result).
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
The acerbic toon has aired more than 330 episodes and pilloried scores of subjects and celebrities since its 1997 launch.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for pillory
Cite this Entry
“Pillory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pillory. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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