mete out

give punishment or harsh treatment to someone

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What does "mete sth out" mean?

To mete out something is to formally administer or dispense it, typically as an expression of authority or institutional power. The phrase is almost exclusively used with punishment, justice, penalties, or serious consequences — a court metes out sentences, a government metes out sanctions, a tribunal metes out verdicts. What sets 'mete out' apart is its connotation of deliberate, measured dispensation by someone in a position of power; it implies the weight of an institution behind the act. The phrase occasionally carries a critical or ironic edge, suggesting that the punishment administered is excessive or disproportionate. Because 'mete' has no independent life in modern English, 'mete out' should be treated as a fixed chunk rather than a verb you can freely recombine.

Examples

How to use it

authority + mete out + punishment/justice/penalties

The most common active construction, with the administering authority as subject and a weighty noun phrase as object — keep the object after 'out'.

The military tribunal meted out severe penalties to anyone found in breach of the curfew.

punishment/justice + be meted out + (to + recipient)

The passive is extremely natural and often preferred when the focus is on what was received rather than who administered it.

Disproportionate sentences were meted out to protesters who had committed only minor infractions.

mete out + punishment/justice + to + recipient

Use this active form when you want to specify both the type of consequence and the person or group on the receiving end.

The colonial administration meted out collective punishment to entire villages suspected of harbouring insurgents.

modal + mete out + punishment/justice

Follows a modal verb to express what an authority can, should, or must administer — common in legal and political commentary.

International courts should be empowered to mete out justice regardless of a defendant's nationality or political status.

mete + short object + out

Separation is possible but only natural when the object is short; long noun phrases should remain unseparated.

The judge meted harsh sentences out swiftly, determined to send a clear message to would-be offenders.

Common Collocations

harsh punishmentsevere penaltiesjusticesentencesretributiondiscipline

Common Mistakes

Spelling: 'meet out' for 'mete out'

Because 'mete' is not used anywhere else in modern English, learners frequently spell it as 'meet', the familiar common verb. 'Meet out' is not a phrase in English — the only correct spelling is 'mete out'.

✗ The court decided to meet out the harshest possible sentence.
✓ The court decided to mete out the harshest possible sentence.
Using 'mete out' for neutral or positive distribution

'Mete out' is almost exclusively reserved for punishment, justice, penalties, or serious consequences administered by an authority. Using it for ordinary or positive distribution — prizes, gifts, advice — sounds unnatural or unintentionally ironic.

✗ The teacher meted out certificates to all the students who had participated.
✓ The teacher handed out certificates to all the students who had participated.
Using continuous tenses

'Mete out' describes a formal, deliberate act rather than an ongoing process, and continuous forms sound unnatural with it. Use the simple past, simple present, present perfect, or an infinitive after a modal instead.

✗ The authorities were meting out fines to every business that had violated the regulations.
✓ The authorities meted out fines to every business that had violated the regulations.

Usage

This is a formal, written expression most common in legal, journalistic, and political contexts. It is almost always used with punishment, justice, or penalties as the object, and is rarely if ever heard in everyday conversation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'mete out' be used for rewarding people, or only for punishment?

In standard usage, 'mete out' is almost always used for punishment, justice, or serious consequences. Using it for rewards or praise would sound ironic or deliberately rhetorical rather than natural. If you want to describe distributing something positive, 'hand out' or 'award' are more appropriate choices.

Is 'mete out' only used in formal writing, or can I say it in conversation?

'Mete out' is strongly associated with formal, written contexts — legal documents, news reporting, academic analysis, and political commentary. It is almost never heard in everyday conversation, and using it casually would sound stiff or deliberately pompous. In speech, people more naturally say something like 'hand down a sentence' or 'impose a penalty'.

Does 'mete out' always imply that the punishment is excessive or unfair?

Not necessarily, though it can carry that connotation. 'Mete out' is often used neutrally to describe any formal administration of justice or punishment. However, writers and journalists sometimes choose it deliberately to imply severity or disproportionality, particularly in critical or investigative contexts. Context and surrounding language will usually clarify the intended tone.

Can I use 'mete out' without saying what was meted out?

'Mete out' always requires an object — it cannot be used intransitively. You must specify what is being administered ('mete out punishment', 'mete out justice'). Dropping the object entirely produces an ungrammatical sentence.

Is there a difference between 'mete out punishment' and 'mete out justice'?

Both are natural collocations, but they carry a slight difference in framing. 'Mete out punishment' foregrounds the penalty itself and can sometimes suggest harshness. 'Mete out justice' frames the act as legitimate and proper, often used in contexts where the speaker endorses or describes the outcome approvingly. The choice reflects how the speaker positions the authority's action.

Related Phrasal Verbs

dole sth out

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