zero-tolerance policy
16
4.9
- noun
- /ˈziːroʊ ˈtɒlərəns ˈpɒlɪsi/
- Formal
:
política de tolerancia cero
- Due to our school's zero tolerance policy on violence, I'm afraid we have no choice but to expel your son.
- a zero-tolerance policy in schools
Examples
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In an effort to eliminate all undesired student behavior, many school districts employ a zero-tolerance policy and treat both minor and major infractions alike.
Academic text (2014) -
- We have a zero-tolerance policy for violence here at The Dirby School.
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Because we have a zero tolerance policy on violence at this school.
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You know, with my boys, I have to have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to violence.
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In theory, our community has a zero tolerance policy on bullying.
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We have a zero-tolerance policy against violence.
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As accommodating as this school may be, we have a zero tolerance policy for violence.
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I know you're new to all this, but we have a zero tolerance policy at this school.
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We have a zero-tolerance policy on theft at Halicorp.
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Our organization has a strict zero-tolerance policy against harassment in the workplace.
Synonyms
53
4.3
A policy that makes people follow rules with no exceptions, even for small mistakes
14
3.4
An order people must follow exactly, often with punishment if ignored
3
4.2
A set of rules people must always follow with no exceptions
A very strict way of managing people and enforcing rules
Antonyms
How Strict
- Formal
16
4.9
14
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
zero-tolerance + policy
The meaning is directly compositional from 'zero' (none) + 'tolerance' (willingness to accept) + 'policy' (a rule): together they yield a rule that allows no acceptance or exceptions. This logic is cross-linguistically common and follows ordinary English compounding, so a B1 learner who knows the parts can grasp the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Zero-tolerance policy paints a simple picture: zero means 'nothing' and tolerance means 'allowing'. So it is a rule that allows 'no exceptions' and gives the same punishment for every rule break.