sanction
As a verb, sanction means to punish. It refers to a punishment imposed on parties who disobey laws or court orders . For example, in the case of Chambers v. Nasco, Inc. 501 U.S. 32 (1991) , the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the imposition of sanctions on a party for bad faith conduct during litigation .
As a noun, a sanction is a penalty or other means of enforcement used to provide incentives for obedience with the law, or with rules and regulations. Sanctions serve as a tool to ensure compliance and can take various forms, such as fines, restrictions , or other punitive measures. For example, economic sanctions can be imposed on a country to force compliance with international laws , aiming to pressure the sanctioned entity into adhering to accepted standards or agreements .
[Last updated in June of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team ]
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