punish

[puhn-ish]

verb (used with object)

1. 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

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

   Unconditional imprisonment is imposed to punish past transgressions.

   Synonyms: penalize
   Antonyms: reward

3. to mistreat, abuse, or hurt.

   Additional tariffs will punish working families with higher prices on household basics.

4. to handle severely or roughly, as in a fight.

5. to put to painful exertion, as a horse in racing.

6. Informal.,  to make a heavy inroad on; deplete.

   to punish a quart of whiskey.

verb (used without object)

1. to inflict punishment.

punish

/ ˈpʌnɪʃ /

verb

1. to force (someone) to undergo a penalty or sanction, such as imprisonment, fines, death, etc, for some crime or misdemeanour

2. (tr) to inflict punishment for (some crime, etc)

3. (tr) to use or treat harshly or roughly, esp as by overexertion

   to punish a horse

4. informal,  (tr) to consume (some commodity) in large quantities

   to punish the bottle

Other Word Forms

• punisher noun
• overpunish verb
• prepunish verb (used with object)
• quasi-punished adjective
• repunish verb
• self-punished adjective
• unpunished adjective
• well-punished adjective
• punishing adjective
• punishingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of punish¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of punish¹

C14 punisse, from Old French punir, from Latin pūnīre to punish, from poena penalty

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said last week that "progress" is being made toward an agreement, and media reports suggest there may be some relief from the punishing US steel tariffs to come.

From BBC

Villagers say they feel "punished" by the prices and limited range of products in their only supermarket.

From BBC

"It feels like the community is getting punished for the bad behaviour of a few."

From BBC

Any university that signs on also would be agreeing to “transforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.”

From Los Angeles Times

“His big, horrible bill strips millions of Americans of healthcare, undermines workers and punishes families. Meanwhile, these very services keep our neighborhoods safe, our children fed and our community alive.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abuse 
• chastise 
• correct 
• crack down on www.thesaurus.com
• discipline 
• dismiss 
• execute 
• expel 
• fine 
• harm 
• hurt 
• incarcerate 
• sentence