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

• self-punisher noun

Etymology

Origin of punisher

punish ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

We all suddenly knew our great friendly teacher was a punisher.

From Washington Post • Dec. 28, 2022

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

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

McIntosh was the Huskies’ punisher in the secondary the past few years and could provide immediate help on special teams.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 24, 2019

He was not only the rewarder of good but the punisher of evil.

From Greek Sculpture A collection of sixteen pictures of Greek marbles with introduction and interpretation by Hurll, Estelle M. (Estelle May)