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Meaning & use

treble damages

noun·Advancedlegaltechnical

Last updated

UK/ˌtrebl ˈdæmɪdʒɪz/
US/ˌtrebl ˈdæmɪdʒɪz/

Meaning

  1. nounplurallegal

    A court award equal to three times the actual loss proven, ordered by law in certain cases to punish wrongdoing and discourage it.

    Grammar: Always plural in this sense: treble damages were awarded.

    Patterns

    • be awarded treble damages
    • sue for treble damages

    The court awarded treble damages after the company was found to have broken antitrust law.

    The farmers are suing for treble damages.

    Because the fraud was deliberate, the judge ordered treble damages.

Common combinations

award treble damages
The judge may award treble damages for willful violations.
seek treble damages
The small firm will seek treble damages.
liable for treble damages
The company is liable for treble damages.
claim treble damages
Tenants can claim treble damages in some states.

Synonyms and how they differ

triple damages
Triple damages means the same thing and is used interchangeably, though treble is the standard legal term.
punitive damages
Punitive damages are set by the court's judgment of what will punish, while treble damages follow a fixed multiple of the loss.
compensatory damages
Compensatory damages only repay the actual loss, while treble damages go beyond that.

Opposites

nominal damages

Word family

treble adjective
three times as much
treble verb
to become three times as large
damages noun
money paid as compensation for harm
trebled adjective
made three times larger

Commonly confused: treble damages or damage?

treble damages vs damage

Damage without s means harm itself, while damages with s means money awarded in court.

Practice

If the actual loss is 10,000 dollars, treble damages would be ______.

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