punish
verb (used with object)
to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault.
has been punishing
-
present perfect progressiveof punish (3rd person singular).present perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that began in the past, has continued continuously, and is still in progress.
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.
Amid an oppressive stretch of extreme heat and Florida-esque humidity that has been punishing much of California, consider, for a moment, the Ice Age.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
The market has been punishing fast-casual restaurants on hints that growth is decelerating.
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
Mr Musk's takeover of Twitter last year has been punishing for the social media platform.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2023
Fallout from the recall has been punishing for Philips: Its overall market value and stock have plummeted and the company recently announced thousands of layoffs as a result of those losses.
From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2022
Yet that is the man Green Valley has been punishing all these years.
From Green Valley by Katharine Reynolds
