mete

To mete something out is to give or divide it in measured amounts. It is most often used for things like punishment, justice, blame, or rewards. If someone is "meting out punishment," they are giving it in a controlled and deliberate way, usually as a person in authority. The word has a formal, old-fashioned feel and is more common in serious writing than in everyday conversation.

The verb mete means to give, assign, or distribute something in measured portions. In modern English, it almost always appears in the phrase "mete out." The idea is not just giving something, but giving it in a controlled, deliberate, and often official way. That is why the word is especially common in phrases like "mete out punishment," "mete out justice," or "mete out rewards." It often suggests that someone is giving what they believe is deserved.

The word can be used for physical portions, but that is less common today. In ordinary use, it usually refers to consequences, treatment, or judgment rather than food or objects. A court may mete out a sentence, a teacher may mete out discipline, or a story may describe fate as meting out hardship little by little. In all of these cases, the focus is on careful distribution, not on a sudden or careless act.

Mete now sounds formal and somewhat old-fashioned, so it appears more often in news reports, legal writing, historical writing, and literary prose than in casual speech. If you see it, think of measured dealing: someone in a position to give out punishment, justice, blame, or reward in portions that feel considered and controlled.