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punish

[puhn-ish]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR punish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault: to punish a criminal.
to inflict a penalty for (an offense, fault, etc.): to punish theft.
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.

Origin of punish

1300–50; Middle English punischen < Middle French puniss-, long stem of punir < Latin pūnīre; akin to poena penalty, pain
Related formspun·ish·er, nouno·ver·pun·ish, verbpre·pun·ish, verb (used with object)qua·si-pun·ished, adjectivere·pun·ish, verbself-pun·ished, adjectiveself-pun·ish·er, nounun·pun·ished, adjectivewell-pun·ished, adjective

Synonyms for punish

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR punish ON THESAURUS.COM
1. chastise, castigate. 1, 2. penalize.

Synonym study

1. 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.

Antonyms for punish

1, 2. reward.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for punish

discipline, incarcerate, harm, dismiss, expel, sentence, chastise, execute, hurt, abuse, fine, correct, spank, paddle, castigate, exile, reprove, whip, injure, debar

Examples from the Web for punish

Contemporary Examples of punish

Historical Examples of punish

British Dictionary definitions for punish

punish

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 overexertionto punish a horse
(tr) informal to consume (some commodity) in large quantitiesto punish the bottle
Derived Formspunisher, nounpunishing, adjectivepunishingly, adverb

Word Origin for punish

C14 punisse, from Old French punir, from Latin pūnīre to punish, from poena penalty
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
Word Origin and History for punish
v.

c.1300, from Old French puniss-, extended present participle stem of punir "to punish," from Latin punire "punish, correct, chastise; take vengeance for; inflict a penalty on, cause pain for some offense," earlier poenire, from poena "penalty, punishment" (see penal). Colloquial meaning "to inflict heavy damage or loss" is first recorded 1801, originally in boxing. Related: Punished; punishing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper