punish
verb (used with object)
to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault.
have punished
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present perfectof punish.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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 the past two months, four major Chinese universities have punished senior scholars over errors in papers flagged by Geng, each in a matter of weeks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
The stock is off about 50% from its November 2021 all-time high, as investors have punished the company for sales declines and sluggish profit growth.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
Mutual funds and hedge funds appeared savvy when it comes to the selloff seen by software stocks this year as investors have punished companies potentially facing AI disruption.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 23, 2026
The police have punished two people for spreading fake information online saying their posts have "seriously disrupted public order and caused bad social impact".
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2025
I bet the kahuna would have punished Brandon.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
