punisher

American  

[puhn-i-sher] / ˈpʌn ɪ ʃər /

noun

1. a person who inflicts a penalty, such as pain, confinement, etc..

   If your response is delayed, the dog will link the punishment to the punisher and not to the transgression.

2. Sports. a person who plays or hits aggressively.

   The player is destined to be an all-American and an all-around punisher in the league.

3. a thing that inflicts pain, discomfort, etc..

   I ran out of time on the test because of one punisher—a question I should have left for last.

4. something that deters or dissuades.

   Any stimulus which makes the behavior it follows more frequent is a reinforcer, even if it is intended as a punisher.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-punisher
  noun

Etymology

Origin of punisher

punish ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

On Saturday, the 6-foot, 218-pound punisher totaled 129 rushing yards … before contact.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 5, 2023

While not a system punisher by a long shot, it ran at almost 200 frames per second and looked fantastic on the high refresh rate display.

From The Verge • Aug. 18, 2022

After scoring 42 points in Game 3, 40 in Game 5 and 44 in Game 6, Antetokounmpo scored or assisted on Milwaukee’s first 24 points in Game 7, serving as setup man, finisher and punisher.

From Washington Post • May 15, 2022

I even have a little "punisher wave" that some of my friends know about, where it's like a signal to come and save me.

From BBC • Dec. 16, 2020

The convention of the world insists that wrong-doing should be punished, which is manifestly right; but when it insists that I should be the punisher, I suspect something wrong.

From The Empire of Love by Dawson, William J.