I. dis ‧ ci ‧ pline 1 S3 W3 /ˈdɪsəplən, ˈdɪsɪplən/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ disciplinarian , ↑ discipline ; adjective : ↑ disciplinary , ↑ disciplined ≠ UNDISCIPLINED ; verb : ↑ discipline ]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: descepline , from Latin disciplina 'teaching, learning' , from discipulus ; ⇨ ↑ disciple ]
1 . [uncountable] a way of training someone so that they learn to control their behaviour and obey rules:
The book gives parents advice on discipline.
serious discipline problems in the police force
2 . [uncountable] the ability to control your own behaviour, so that you do what you are expected to do:
Working from home requires a good deal of discipline.
⇨ ↑ self-discipline
3 . [uncountable and countable] a way of training your mind or learning to control your behaviour:
Martial arts teach respect, discipline, and cooperation.
discipline for
Learning poetry is a good discipline for the memory.
4 . [countable] an area of knowledge or teaching, especially one such as history, chemistry, mathematics etc that is studied at a university
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COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + discipline
▪ good/strong/firm discipline (=clear rules that people understand and must obey)
Without good discipline in a school, the standard of teaching suffers.
▪ strict discipline (=very firm and not always reasonable or kind)
Some parents complained about the school's strict discipline.
▪ poor discipline (=not enough clear and firm rules)
Problems tend to arise in families where there is poor discipline.
▪ school discipline
a government report into how to improve school discipline
▪ military discipline (=the kind of strict discipline imposed in the army)
I hated the army and the routine of military discipline.
■ verbs
▪ keep discipline ( also maintain discipline formal ) (=make people obey the rules)
A good teacher knows how to maintain discipline.
▪ enforce discipline (=make people obey the rules, especially by using punishment)
It is entirely for your own good that we enforce discipline.
■ phrases
▪ a lack of discipline
The principal never tolerated a lack of discipline.
▪ a breach of discipline formal (=an act of not obeying the rules)
Being absent without permission was a breach of discipline.
■ discipline + NOUN
▪ a discipline problem (=a problem with the students' behaviour in a school)
Successful schools have fewer discipline problems.
II. discipline 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ disciplinarian , ↑ discipline ; adjective : ↑ disciplinary , ↑ disciplined ≠ UNDISCIPLINED ; verb : ↑ discipline ]
1 . to punish someone in order to keep order and control:
The officers were later disciplined.
2 . to teach someone to obey rules and control their behaviour:
Different cultures have different ways of disciplining their children.
3 . discipline yourself (to do something) to control the way you work, how regularly you do something etc, because you know it is good for you:
Try to discipline yourself to write every day.
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THESAURUS
▪ punish to do something unpleasant to someone because they have done something wrong or broken the law:
Drug smugglers are severely punished.
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She wanted to punish him for deceiving her.
▪ fine to make someone pay money as a punishment:
The company was fined for safety violations.
▪ sentence if a judge sentences a criminal, he or she gives them an official punishment, usually sending them to prison for a period of time:
The judge sentenced Margolis to a year in prison.
▪ penalize ( also penalise British English ) to officially punish someone, especially by taking away their right to do something or by limiting their freedom in some way:
New laws will penalize firms that continue to pollute the environment.
▪ discipline to punish someone who has broken the rules of an organization that they belong to or work for:
Officers are expected to discipline soldiers who do not keep their uniforms in good condition.
▪ come down hard on somebody informal to punish someone or criticize them severely:
The judge came down hard on Harris, saying that his crime was ‘inexcusable’.
▪ make an example of somebody to punish someone so that other people are afraid to do the same thing:
Athletics officials felt they had to make an example of him for using banned drugs.
▪ teach somebody a lesson informal to do something in order to show someone that they must not do something again, when they have behaved very badly:
I didn't want to hurt him - I just wanted teach him a lesson.
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Maybe a night in jail will teach him a lesson.
▪ make somebody pay (for something) informal to make someone wish they had never done something, by making them suffer:
We should make him pay for all the mischief he's caused!