sentence
[noun]
Synonyms:
- punishment, condemnation, decision, decree, judgment, order, ruling, verdict
[verb]
Synonyms:
- condemn, doom, penalize

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Contrasted words: absolve, acquit, exculpate, exonerate, vindicate, discharge, free, liberate, release
Related Idioms: pass sentence on
Related Words: adjudge, adjudicate, judge, ordain, rule, blame, denounce, penalize, punish, devote

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English Thesaurus: punish, fine, sentence, penalize, discipline, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. sen‧tence¹ S1 W2 /ˈsentəns/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin sententia 'feeling, opinion, sentence', from sentire; ⇒ sentient]

1. a group of words that usually contains a subject and a verb, and expresses a complete idea. Sentences written in English begin with a capital letter and usually end with a full stop or a question mark:
His voice dropped at the end of the sentence.
in a sentence
It’s difficult to sum it up in one sentence.
short/simple/full/complex etc sentence
In a few short sentences, Quinn explained what he had done.

2. a punishment that a judge gives to someone who is guilty of a crime:
She received an eight-year prison sentence.
He has just begun a life sentence for murder.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. sentence² verb [transitive]
if a judge sentences someone who is guilty of a crime, they give them a punishment
sentence somebody to something
Sanchez was sentenced to three years in prison.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

sentence
noun
I. group of words
ADJ. long, short Try to keep your sentences short.
complete, whole | broken, incomplete | grammatical, grammatically correct | grammatically incorrect, ungrammatical | coherent | affirmative, negative | complex, simple | compound
VERB + SENTENCE begin | finish Peter finished Jane's sentence for her.
construct, form, formulate, generate, write He can barely form a grammatical sentence.
parse
SENTENCE + VERB contain sth, have sth Does the sentence contain an adverb?
SENTENCE + NOUN structure

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sentence
II. punishment given by a judge
ADJ. maximum, minimum | long, short | harsh, heavy, severe, stiff | lenient, light | indefinite, indeterminate | appropriate | mandatory The judge imposed the mandatory sentence for murder.
suspended | custodial, jail, prison | non-custodial | death | life
VERB + SENTENCE hand down, impose, pass, pronounce The judge will pass sentence on the accused this afternoon.
be given, get, receive | serve He will have to serve a life sentence.
carry out | await He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.
face She could face a long prison sentence.
commute, reduce The death sentence may be commuted to life imprisonment.
suspend | appeal against | review | quash | carry The offence carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
PREP. under ~ (of) He has been in prison for two months under sentence of death.
~ for an eight-year sentence for burglary

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sentence
verb
PREP. for They had been sentenced for murder.
to He was sentenced to two years in prison.
PHRASES sentence sb to death, sentence sb to imprisonment The judge sentenced her to life imprisonment.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

sentence

get/receive a sentence (also be given a sentence)
She was given a three-year prison sentence.
face a sentence (=be likely to receive a sentence)
He faces a long prison sentence if he is caught.
serve a sentence (=spend time in prison)
Her husband is serving a two-year sentence for credit-card fraud.
a crime carries a sentence (=that is the punishment for that crime)
Rape should carry an automatic life sentence.
impose/hand down a sentence (=officially give someone a sentence)
The judge imposed a three-year sentence.
pass sentence formal (=officially say what someone’s punishment will be)
It is now my duty to pass sentence.
a stiff/long sentence (=a long time in prison)
Police officers are demanding stiffer sentences for offenders.
a light/short sentence (=a short time in prison)
We’re hoping that he gets off with a light sentence.
a prison/jail sentence (also a custodial sentence British English formal)
If found guilty, he faces a long jail sentence.
a non-custodial sentence British English formal (=a punishment in which a person does not go to prison)
The judge said the offence was too serious for a non-custodial sentence.
a five-year/eight-year etc sentence (=five/eight etc years in prison)
He was serving an eight-year sentence for burglary.
the maximum sentence (=the most that can be given for a particular crime)
The maximum sentence for this offence is five years.
a life sentence (=prison for the rest of your life, or a very long time)
In 1978 he was given a life sentence for attacking a 72-year-old woman.
a death sentence (=a punishment of death)
Death sentences were handed down to eight of the accused.
a suspended sentence (=one which someone will serve only if they commit another crime)
Her attacker got a two-year suspended sentence.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

punish to do something unpleasant to someone because they have done something wrong or broken the law:
Drug smugglers are severely punished.
She wanted to punish him for deceiving her.
fine to make someone pay money as a punishment:
The company was fined for safety violations.
sentence if a judge sentences a criminal, he or she gives them an official punishment, usually sending them to prison for a period of time:
The judge sentenced Margolis to a year in prison.
penalize (also penalise British English) to officially punish someone, especially by taking away their right to do something or by limiting their freedom in some way:
New laws will penalize firms that continue to pollute the environment.
discipline to punish someone who has broken the rules of an organization that they belong to or work for:
Officers are expected to discipline soldiers who do not keep their uniforms in good condition.
come down hard on somebody informal to punish someone or criticize them severely:
The judge came down hard on Harris, saying that his crime was ‘inexcusable’.
make an example of somebody to punish someone so that other people are afraid to do the same thing:
Athletics officials felt they had to make an example of him for using banned drugs.
teach somebody a lesson informal to do something in order to show someone that they must not do something again, when they have behaved very badly:
I didn't want to hurt him - I just wanted teach him a lesson.
Maybe a night in jail will teach him a lesson.
make somebody pay (for something) informal to make someone wish they had never done something, by making them suffer:
We should make him pay for all the mischief he's caused!
punishment something that is done in order to punish someone, or the act of punishing them:
I don’t think they deserved such a severe punishment.
The usual punishment is life in prison.
penalty a general word for a punishment given to someone who has broken a law, rule, or agreement:
What’s the penalty if you get caught?
He called for stiffer penalties for crimes involving guns.
the death penalty (also capital punishment) the system in which people are killed as a punishment for crimes:
If he is found guilty, he faces the death penalty.
A number of states have abolished capital punishment.
community service unpaid work helping other people that someone does as punishment for a crime:
He was given a choice between doing 200 hours of community service, or a big fine.
corporal punishment the punishment of children by hitting them:
I don’t agree with corporal punishment.
Corporal punishment was abolished in schools in 1987.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

punishment something that is done in order to punish someone, or the act of punishing them:
I don’t think they deserved such a severe punishment.
The usual punishment is life in prison.
sentence a punishment given by a judge in a court:
He was given a long prison sentence.
They asked for the maximum sentence.
fine an amount of money that you must pay as a punishment:
I got an £80 fine for speeding.
There are heavy fines for drink-driving.
penalty a general word for a punishment given to someone who has broken a law, rule, or agreement:
What’s the penalty if you get caught?
He called for stiffer penalties for crimes involving guns.
the death penalty (also capital punishment) the system in which people are killed as a punishment for crimes:
If he is found guilty, he faces the death penalty.
A number of states have abolished capital punishment.
community service unpaid work helping other people that someone does as punishment for a crime:
He was given a choice between doing 200 hours of community service, or a big fine.
corporal punishment the punishment of children by hitting them:
I don’t agree with corporal punishment.
Corporal punishment was abolished in schools in 1987.
punish to do something unpleasant to someone because they have done something wrong or broken the law:
Drug smugglers are severely punished.
She wanted to punish him for deceiving her.
penalize (also penalise British English) to officially punish someone, especially by taking away their right to do something or by limiting their freedom in some way:
New laws will penalize firms that continue to pollute the environment.
discipline to punish someone who has broken the rules of an organization that they belong to or work for:
Officers are expected to discipline soldiers who do not keep their uniforms in good condition.
come down hard on somebody informal to punish someone or criticize them severely:
The judge came down hard on Harris, saying that his crime was ‘inexcusable’.
make an example of somebody to punish someone so that other people are afraid to do the same thing:
Athletics officials felt they had to make an example of him for using banned drugs.
teach somebody a lesson informal to do something in order to show someone that they must not do something again, when they have behaved very badly:
I didn't want to hurt him - I just wanted teach him a lesson.
Maybe a night in jail will teach him a lesson.
make somebody pay (for something) informal to make someone wish they had never done something, by making them suffer:
We should make him pay for all the mischief he's caused!

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲