Meaning & use
Garnishments
Last updated
Legal orders that require a portion of a person's wages or assets to be withheld and paid directly to a creditor to settle a debt.
See it in a sentence
His paycheck was reduced each month because of wage garnishments for unpaid child support.
The company's payroll department processes garnishments automatically once a court order is received.
A note on using this word
"Garnishment" shares a root with the culinary word "garnish," both descending from the Old French "garnir," meaning to furnish or equip; the legal sense developed from the idea of "furnishing notice" to a third party.
Words with a similar meaning
withholdingsdeductions
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