punish
verb (used with object)
to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault.
had punished
-
past perfectof punish.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
In an interview with the Guardian, she described the policy as "spiteful," adding it had "punished and pushed children into hardship".
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025
No team this year had punished the Lakers’ defense like that in the first all season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2024
On June 23, anti-corruption authorities announced that they had punished five officials in Zhengzhou for deliberately turning 1,317 citizens' health codes red.
From Reuters ● Oct. 13, 2022
Netflix is beset with its own struggles in producing troves of content while Wall Street had punished the technology sector at large this year.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 19, 2022
Finally, the pixies flew away through the trees, either satisfied that they had punished me enough or tired of the dirt.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
