Synonyms

punish

American

[puhn-ish] / ˈpʌn ɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault.

The goal of the court is to punish the criminal for the crime he has committed.

Synonyms:

penalize, discipline, castigate, chastise

Antonyms:

reward
to inflict a penalty for (an offense, fault, etc.).

Unconditional imprisonment is imposed to punish past transgressions.

Synonyms:

penalize

Antonyms:

reward
to mistreat, abuse, or hurt.

Additional tariffs will punish working families with higher prices on household basics.
to handle severely or roughly, as in a fight.
to put to painful exertion, as a horse in racing.
Informal. to make a heavy inroad on; deplete.

to punish a quart of whiskey.

verb (used without object)

to inflict punishment.

punish British

/ ˈpʌnɪʃ /

verb

to force (someone) to undergo a penalty or sanction, such as imprisonment, fines, death, etc, for some crime or misdemeanour
(tr) to inflict punishment for (some crime, etc)
(tr) to use or treat harshly or roughly, esp as by overexertion

to punish a horse
informal (tr) to consume (some commodity) in large quantities

to punish the bottle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

Punish, correct, discipline refer to making evident public or private disapproval of violations of law, wrongdoing, or refusal to obey rules or regulations by imposing penalties. To punish is chiefly to inflict penalty or pain as a retribution for misdeeds, with little or no expectation of correction or improvement: to punish a thief. To correct is to reprove or inflict punishment for faults, specifically with the idea of bringing about improvement: to correct a rebellious child. To discipline is to give a kind of punishment that will educate or will establish useful habits: to discipline a careless driver.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of punish

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English punischen, from Middle French puniss-, long stem of punir, from Latin pūnīre; akin to poena penalty, pain

Explanation

To punish is to discipline or penalize someone because they've done something wrong. If you stole the cookie from the cookie jar, someone may have to punish you. Not you? Then who? A judge will often punish a guilty defendant with community service or parole — or sometimes even with time spent in prison, if the crime is serious enough. You probably punish your puppy for chewing your shoes simply with a firm "No!" Sometimes people are punished unfairly, like how higher gas prices punish the people who can already barely afford to drive to their jobs.

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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.

See Examples For:

punish punishes punished punishing

She claimed that Cornell had failed to protect her or adequately punish the men involved in the incident.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Blacknell said prosecutors are trying to punish his client for a tragic accident.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Cornell has said it supported presenting the case to a grand jury, while rejecting as "false" claims that it failed to punish those involved.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

As the Supreme Court has held, the government may not “use the power of the State to punish or suppress disfavored expression.”

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

It feels furtive, secret, a relic I use to remember and to punish myself.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

“The same rate hike that helps a CD also punishes anyone carrying a credit-card balance.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

This punishes companies for using recycled metal already circulating through our domestic supply chain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

To recap: Purcell punishes a plaintiff in voting cases for being too late to court.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

Thailand has strict gun laws, which punishes the illegal possession of arms with up to 10 years in jail.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Any system that constricts teachers—holds them to small-bore metrics, punishes them for forces outside their control, discourages their creativity and spontaneity, chips away at their humanity—is a bad system.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Unauthorized access is illegal, even if employees don’t disclose tax information outside the government, and it can be punished through criminal prosecution or employee discipline.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

"What we want to see is that people who work harder don't get punished for doing so," Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Microsoft’s stock was punished earlier this year, as AI fears loomed large over the software sector.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

In its deliberations, several committee members said that the players and administration are new and should not be punished for the past actions of others.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

His descendants also did wickedly and were punished.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

"You have house rules, family limits, discipline and consequences. But the difference is we look at discipline as learning and teaching rather than punishing."

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

She says I’m putting a price on her contribution as a wife and mother and punishing her for not having a career.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

The legendary decathlete who climbed 99 steps to light the cauldron at the Coliseum in 1984 just begged Wasserman not to repeat the punishing path.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

He spent two years operating the dozer in the landfill, where treading uneven ground can be physically punishing work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

Washington went up to thirty-four now, Cal to a punishing thirty-eight.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023