punish
verb (used with object)
to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault.
punished
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past participleof punish.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof punish.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
punishverb (used with object)to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault.
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.
Companies deemed a greater risk of not repaying their debts have been punished in October.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
Traders punished the stock with a 13% decline Thursday that marked its worst day on record, hammering major Alphabet shareholders such as Berkshire Hathaway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
"This earnings season has been tough on AI players, with most getting punished against a backdrop of AI bubble and inflation fears," Anna Wu, of Floodlines Research, said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
This phenomenon stems in part from the just-world cognitive bias, the tendency to believe that the world is fundamentally fair and that good people are rewarded while bad people are punished.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
Every week, I’m punished for something I didn’t do.
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
