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Definition of sentencenext
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

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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
Speaking on Sunday, Iranian judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei suggested harsh prison sentences awaited many. Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026 Elizabeth Holmes, the infamous founder of Theranos who is currently serving out a more than 11-year prison sentence in Texas, re-entered the zeitgeist this past fall—in September to be exact. Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
Cynthia Thomas was convicted last year of mail fraud conspiracy and was sentenced in December to probation for three years, Alpha News reported. Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 9 Feb. 2026 Pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in a case that became a symbol of China’s crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong. Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 9 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sentence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sentence
Noun
  • According to the court ruling, in August 2023, while returning from the store, Landuga, who lived in Kurakhivka, in Donetsk region, saw Ukrainian soldiers at the home of her son’s godmother and in the barracks of the Military Mining Rescue Unit.
    Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Governor Newsom has indicated that the appropriate response to the court ruling is to focus on federal agents specifically rather than expanding the law to include state officers, suggesting these are separate issues that warrant different approaches.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The couple saw major flood damage during the same set of storms, with a wall collapsing and the house later condemned by the city.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2026
  • In an internal memo last year, Prasad wrote that the streamlined method would no longer be permitted – leading more than a dozen former FDA commissioners to pen an editorial condemning the statements.
    CBS News, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • As the verdict was announced, his followers unleashed a wave of fury across Punjab and Haryana.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Their convictions come more than two years after another judge issued a mixed verdict involving other members of Misick’s Progressive National Party government who were accused of similar charges in the archipelago, located about 600 miles south of Florida.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • But Einhorn said the stock was unfairly punished given the return of an old CEO, as well as an improving balance sheet.
    Sarah Min, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2026
  • What followed was not chaos, but something more deliberate—a narrowing of what could be said publicly, to punish those who spoke up, and to quietly erase stories that needed to be told.
    Adrianne Wright, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Only doomed bottom pair Burnley (five points) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (six points) have a worse record over the corresponding period.
    Andy Naylor, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Even with Curry in the lineup, the Warriors know this season is doomed as things currently stand.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Sentence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sentence. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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