sentences 1 of 2

Definition of sentencesnext
plural of sentence
as in rulings
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

sentences

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of sentence

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 sentences
Noun
Katz said first-degree murder, or Murder 1, would have meant the possibility of life without parole, but that, in the aggregate, the remaining four charges could amount to 90 years to life, if the sentences are consecutive. John Annese, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026 These sentences, written by Averbuch’s translators Oksana Maksymchuk and Max Rosochinsky, appear on the first page of Averbuch’s facing-page bilingual collection Furious Harvests—the only page in the book where chronology can be told quite so simply. Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026 Capital sentences will now require only a simple majority of sitting judges rather than unanimous agreement, the group said. Matt Bradley, NBC news, 1 Apr. 2026 The uncertainty has already led to the postponement of Duckett’s execution, originally set for Tuesday evening, granting him a rare reprieve amid Florida’s recent brisk pace of fulfilling death penalty sentences. Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026 Lebanon has a long history of prosecuting individuals accused of collaborating with Israel, with convictions carrying sentences of up to 25 years. Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 Gale was given two 25-30-year sentences for each of the two victims, to be served consecutively. Riley Rourke, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026 Keep in mind, the more personal and specific your sentences are, the better. Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 30 Mar. 2026 Some coöperating witnesses, who pleaded guilty in exchange for lighter sentences, were asked by prosecutors to identify defendants who were aligned with Antifa. Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Seoul Central District Court sentences Yoon to five years in prison for resisting arrest and fabricating the martial law proclamation, the first verdict against Yoon. ABC News, 19 Feb. 2026 Her sentences themselves have a cartilaginous magic. Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026 Despite the wholesale change in how California sentences juvenile offenders, outrage over the crime has not faded. Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026 Given that, Ake sentences her to a rehabilitation camp and separates her from her young son, Caleb. Joe Otterson, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026 Williams was able to petition for resentencing due to a law enacted in 2011 that allowed judges to give juvenile offenders with life without parole sentences a chance to be resentenced. CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sentences
Noun
  • But soon after, the city offered different rulings unfavorable to the Eddses as to where the boundaries are and where the couple could develop.
    Ashley Mackin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
  • Social media stocks also struggled after two court rulings in child safety cases went against Meta Platforms .
    Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Yamal condemns anti-Muslim chants Spain signed off for the World Cup on Tuesday with a 0-0 draw against Egypt.
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Pappas’ report, released Monday morning, condemns political leaders — many of them Democrats like herself — for exploiting loopholes in a state law designed to limit real estate tax increases.
    Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • But no one reading the book will come away with the sense that studies are often contested, or that many of the findings of social psychology and economics remain unsettled, or that results can be interpreted in many ways.
    Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Writers said the article emphasized findings that were subjective and susceptible to bias.
    David Hilzenrath, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Ishika Samant / Getty Images file Baseball already has a luxury tax in place that punishes big spending.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2026
  • In the most ironic misalignment, the industry celebrates the myth of the lone auteur and then punishes anyone who actually tries to be one.
    Daren Smith, IndieWire, 18 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The financial penalties to date have been minimal — less than $400 million in damages between the two verdicts last week — but the cases establish a troubling precedent for tech giants that are betting their future on AI.
    Jennifer Elias,Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Meta and Google both plan to appeal the verdicts.
    Shannon Bond, NPR, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • This leads to the fracture in Catherine and Heathcliff's relationship that dooms them all to ruin.
    Megan McCluskey, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Without that sense of desperate loneliness, what dooms Frankenstein and the Creature to their deaths?
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sentences.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sentences. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on sentences

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster