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.
Bass said that when she toured police station houses after being elected, the number one complaint she heard was about the perception that lower-ranking officers are punished more severely than command staff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
He added: "However, the seriousness of your offending, requires you to be punished and others who might find themselves in a similar situation to be deterred from doing as you did."
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Rhoad's fiancee Natalie Weirtz told the court by video call that the accused "must be punished so that no other family suffers the same pain."
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Ronaldo apologised to fans and team-mates for leaving the camp and said the consequences of that must be "assessed and punished" while also dismissing any suggestion that he had played his last match for Portugal.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
As leader, it was his fate to be punished for having the very qualities we admired in the first place.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
