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
Only the Mariners ever meted out any such punishment in the intervening years.
—
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025
Joe Don Baker, the actor who as the real-life Sheriff Buford Pusser in the 1973 vigilante film Walking Tall carried a big stick to mete out his own Tennessee brand of justice, died May 7, his family has announced.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 May 2025
Smail points out the distinct lack of fines and punishments in archival records that were meted out for offenses such as homicide and serious wounding, both commonplace crimes in other cities at the time.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 20 June 2025
As has became standard practice for competitions these days, the intel is meted out in drips and drams so that consumers can be kept on their toes throughout the year, as opposed to having it all over and done with in one succinct announcement.
—Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for mete out
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.
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025
Joe Don Baker, the actor who as the real-life Sheriff Buford Pusser in the 1973 vigilante film Walking Tall carried a big stick to mete out his own Tennessee brand of justice, died May 7, his family has announced.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 15 May 2025
Smail points out the distinct lack of fines and punishments in archival records that were meted out for offenses such as homicide and serious wounding, both commonplace crimes in other cities at the time.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 20 June 2025
As has became standard practice for competitions these days, the intel is meted out in drips and drams so that consumers can be kept on their toes throughout the year, as opposed to having it all over and done with in one succinct announcement.
—Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for mete out
Cite this Entry
“Mete out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mete%20out. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share