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
That left Judge David Swanson to mete out justice for the conviction that still could have put Sims behind bars for four decades.
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Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2024
Their new prize, organized under the banner of the Freshly Ground Stories hub launched by Abidi earlier this year, was among around 30 collateral prizes meted out to the 31 projects showcased in the festival’s Red Sea Souk’s project market.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2024
And the judge, whose prior decisions to delay Trump’s sentencing were partly based on his consideration of the case’s unique circumstances, may be reluctant to mete out a punishment on the president-elect.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2024
Roddick lost that match — but players should not have to mete out their versions of what is fair in a sport that has rules and protocols to prevent them from doing so.
—James Hansen, The Athletic, 17 Aug. 2024
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Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2024
Their new prize, organized under the banner of the Freshly Ground Stories hub launched by Abidi earlier this year, was among around 30 collateral prizes meted out to the 31 projects showcased in the festival’s Red Sea Souk’s project market.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2024
And the judge, whose prior decisions to delay Trump’s sentencing were partly based on his consideration of the case’s unique circumstances, may be reluctant to mete out a punishment on the president-elect.
—Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2024
Roddick lost that match — but players should not have to mete out their versions of what is fair in a sport that has rules and protocols to prevent them from doing so.
—James Hansen, The Athletic, 17 Aug. 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 8 Jan. 2025.
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