punish
Americanverb (used with object)
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punishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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punished,
past participle, past
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punishing
present participle
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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
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to inflict a penalty for (an offense, fault, etc.).
Unconditional imprisonment is imposed to punish past transgressions.
- Synonyms:
- penalize
- Antonyms:
- reward
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to mistreat, abuse, or hurt.
Additional tariffs will punish working families with higher prices on household basics.
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to handle severely or roughly, as in a fight.
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to put to painful exertion, as a horse in racing.
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Informal. to make a heavy inroad on; deplete.
to punish a quart of whiskey.
verb (used without object)
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punishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
punished,
past participle, past
-
punishing
present participle
verb
-
to force (someone) to undergo a penalty or sanction, such as imprisonment, fines, death, etc, for some crime or misdemeanour
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(tr) to inflict punishment for (some crime, etc)
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(tr) to use or treat harshly or roughly, esp as by overexertion
to punish a horse
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informal (tr) to consume (some commodity) in large quantities
to punish the bottle
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
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punishernoun
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overpunishverb
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repunishverb
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prepunishverb (used with object)
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punishingadjective
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quasi-punishedadjective
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self-punishedadjective
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unpunishedadjective
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well-punishedadjective
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punishinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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punishsimple
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punishessimple
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have punishedperfect
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has punishedperfect
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am punishingprogressive
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are punishingprogressive
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is punishingprogressive
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have been punishingperfect progressive
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has been punishingperfect progressive
Past
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punishedsimple
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had punishedperfect
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was punishingprogressive
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were punishingprogressive
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had been punishingperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing punish
Louder than Hunger
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"Seeking Freedom"
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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:
“What he can’t do is use the power of the government to punish them for their expression.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
"In some cases, in order to prevent individuals from criticising the Chinese government overseas or to punish their rights advocacy activities, state security authorities directly refuse to issue passports," Kellogg adds.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
But while your brother’s lack of money management appears to have led your mother to make this gesture, it’s also important not to punish his children for the sins of their father.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
To begin to understand how a “super” El Niño winter could punish the Southern California coast, the historic wooden boardwalk on the Long Beach Peninsula may just offer a glimpse at what’s to come.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
No good way to ask that of your kid when you're trying to punish him.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
“The same rate hike that helps a CD also punishes anyone carrying a credit-card balance.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
To recap: Purcell punishes a plaintiff in voting cases for being too late to court.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
Is the U.S. now a nation that sings like Argentina, rows like Norway and punishes beer kegs like the thirsty Scottish Tartan Army?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
"It punishes the wrong people and ignores real avoidance," the report stated.
From BBC ● May 15, 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
Microsoft’s stock had been punished earlier this year, as AI fears loomed large over the software sector.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
When asked whether he feels the club has been punished enough, and if a suspension for him would be excessive, Eckert chooses his words carefully.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 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
Not too long ago, Salesforce CRM -1.97%decrease; down pointing triangle and other corporate-software companies were getting punished by investors convinced that their expensive off-the-shelf products would soon be replaced with cheaper AI-concocted versions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
The past ruler had taxed them heavily and punished them harshly, and they had no hope for better.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
“Whilst the event provided both a helpful and thorough review of the business outlook as well as a strategic refresh, it was met with a fairly punishing market response.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
It’s about rewarding some mothers and punishing others.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
But under the punishing sun, you could see that these are not normal times.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Temperatures in the area approached or exceeded triple digits Wednesday, amid a punishing heat wave that is broiling Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
But simply punishing the broken—walking away from them or hiding them from sight—only ensures that they remain broken and we do, too.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
