punish
Americanverb (used with object)
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to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault.
The goal of the court is to punish the criminal for the crime he has committed.
- Synonyms:
- penalize, discipline, castigate, chastise
- Antonyms:
- reward
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to inflict a penalty for (an offense, fault, etc.).
Unconditional imprisonment is imposed to punish past transgressions.
- Synonyms:
- penalize
- Antonyms:
- reward
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to mistreat, abuse, or hurt.
Additional tariffs will punish working families with higher prices on household basics.
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to handle severely or roughly, as in a fight.
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to put to painful exertion, as a horse in racing.
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Informal. to make a heavy inroad on; deplete.
to punish a quart of whiskey.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to force (someone) to undergo a penalty or sanction, such as imprisonment, fines, death, etc, for some crime or misdemeanour
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(tr) to inflict punishment for (some crime, etc)
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(tr) to use or treat harshly or roughly, esp as by overexertion
to punish a horse
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informal (tr) to consume (some commodity) in large quantities
to punish the bottle
Synonym Usage
Punish, correct, discipline refer to making evident public or private disapproval of violations of law, wrongdoing, or refusal to obey rules or regulations by imposing penalties. To punish is chiefly to inflict penalty or pain as a retribution for misdeeds, with little or no expectation of correction or improvement: to punish a thief. To correct is to reprove or inflict punishment for faults, specifically with the idea of bringing about improvement: to correct a rebellious child. To discipline is to give a kind of punishment that will educate or will establish useful habits: to discipline a careless driver.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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punishernoun
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overpunishverb
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repunishverb
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punishingadjective
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quasi-punishedadjective
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self-punishedadjective
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unpunishedadjective
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well-punishedadjective
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punishinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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punishsimple
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punishessimple
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have punishedperfect
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has punishedperfect
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am punishingprogressive
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are punishingprogressive
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is punishingprogressive
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have been punishingperfect progressive
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has been punishingperfect progressive
Past
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punishedsimple
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had punishedperfect
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was punishingprogressive
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were punishingprogressive
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had been punishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of punish
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English punischen, from Middle French puniss-, long stem of punir, from Latin pūnīre; akin to poena penalty, pain
Explanation
To punish is to discipline or penalize someone because they've done something wrong. If you stole the cookie from the cookie jar, someone may have to punish you. Not you? Then who? A judge will often punish a guilty defendant with community service or parole — or sometimes even with time spent in prison, if the crime is serious enough. You probably punish your puppy for chewing your shoes simply with a firm "No!" Sometimes people are punished unfairly, like how higher gas prices punish the people who can already barely afford to drive to their jobs.
Vocabulary lists containing punish
Louder than Hunger
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"Seeking Freedom"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Just two words that you need to know: Punish and deter,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
“The key is: Punish the abusers and make an example of them,” said Jessica Tillipman, a government-procurement expert at George Washington University Law School.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Local media, citing unnamed sources, connected the arrested men to an online platform known as "Punish Mee" that was allegedly used to provide financial aid to the eight wanted overseas activists.
From Reuters • Jul. 5, 2023
Perhaps most important is restorative justice, a concept described at length in Lois Forer's 1994 book, "A Rage to Punish":
From Salon • Dec. 26, 2022
"Punish them? But you wouldn't punish them for a peaceful march."
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
