on pain of

UK/ɒn ˈpeɪn əv/US/ɑn ˈpeɪn əv/

preposition

Used to warn of consequences if a specified act is done or not done: subject to the punishment of (some penalty); or (generally) subject to the circumstance of (some thing).

Similar
under pain ofupon pain of
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Meanings

preposition
  1. Used to warn of consequences if a specified act is done or not done: subject to the punishment of (some penalty); or (generally) subject to the circumstance of (some thing).

    [N]o flattery for't: No lick-foote, paine of looſing your proboſcis:[…]

    [1629 (first performance), B[en] Jonson, The New Inne. Or, The Light Heart. […], London: […] Thomas Harper, for Thomas Alchorne, […], published 1631, →OCLC, Act II, scene vi
    4 more examples

    On paine of death, no perſon be ſo bold, Or daring, hardy, as to touch the liſtes, Except the Martiall and ſuch officers Appoynted to direct theſe faire deſignes.

    1595 December 9 (first known performance), [William Shakespeare], The Tragedie of King Richard the Second. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Valentine Simmes for Androw Wise, […], published 1597, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]

    Seb[astian]. […] [M]y duty, then, To interpoſe; on pain of my diſpleasure, Betwixt your Swords[.] Dor[ax]. On pain of Infamy He ſhould have diſobey'd.

    1690, [John] Dryden, Don Sebastian, King of Portugal: […], London: […] Jo. Hindmarsh, […], →OCLC, Act IV, page 105

    Translated, it was a warning to the Claytons to refrain from reporting the loss of the revolvers, or from repeating what the old sailor had told them—to refrain on pain of death.

    1912 October, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Tarzan of the Apes”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as “Out to Sea”, in Tarzan of the Apes, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, June 1914, →OCLC, page 16

    The White Queen is offered for sacrifice six times in succession, and must be refused each time on pain of checkmate!

    1943 January, Irving Chernev, “Chess Thrillers”, in Chess Review

    Synonyms: under pain of, upon pain of

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositionUsed to warn of consequences if a specified act is done or not done: subject to the punishment of (some penalty); or (generally) subject to the circumstance of (some thing).

Similar
under pain ofupon pain of
Also see
under pain ofupon pain of

Origin

From on + pain (“suffering inflicted as punishment or penalty”) + of; compare French sous peine de.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch op straffe van
  • op straffe vansubject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of
Finnish uhalla
  • uhallasubject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of
French sous peine de
  • sous peine desubject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of
German bei, unter Androhung von
  • beisubject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of
  • unter Androhung vonsubject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of
Polish pod karą
  • pod karąsubject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of
Spanish so pena de
  • so pena desubject to the punishment or (generally) circumstance of
Cite this entry
APA

on pain of. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20pain%20of

MLA

“on pain of.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20pain%20of. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on pain of,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20pain%20of.

Source: on pain of on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.