mete out

phrasal verb

meted out; meting out; metes out
: to give (something) to the people who one decides should get it : to give out or distribute (something)
We're trying to be fair in meting out rewards and punishments.
usually used to refer to something unpleasant (such as punishment)
Huge fines were meted out as punishment.
The king meted out justice as he saw fit.

Examples of mete out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The result, unfortunately, involves meting out meaning in logistical fashion. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 25 Jan. 2025 The sentencing phase of Smith’s and other cases were first ordered re-tried in 2016 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Florida’s death sentence law unconstitutional and said a unanimous jury was required before meting out a death penalty sentence. Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025 In the 1938 classic The Adventures of Robin Hood, Robin Hood is a happy iconoclast, meting out his form of social and political justice with the cheerful irreverence and deft strokes of Errol Flynn, cinema’s premier swashbuckler. Scott Tobias, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2024 Gisèle leaned her head against the wall of the courthouse as Judge Roger Arata meted out the punishment for her partner of five decades. Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mete out 

Dictionary Entries Near mete out

Cite this Entry

“Mete out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mete%20out. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.

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