noun
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a penalty or sanction given for any crime or offence
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the act of punishing or state of being punished
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informal rough treatment
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psychol any aversive stimulus administered to an organism as part of training
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonpunishmentnoun
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overpunishmentnoun
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prepunishmentnoun
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repunishmentnoun
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self-punishmentnoun
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propunishmentadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of punishment
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English punysshement, from Anglo-French punisement, Old French punissement; equivalent to punish + -ment
Explanation
Punishment is the penalty you have to pay when you're caught doing something bad. A teenager's punishment for missing her curfew might be helping her dad clean the garage. When someone is officially penalized for a mistake or a crime, that's punishment. Stealing a car could result in a punishment involving jail, while pinching your little sister might mean a punishment as mild as sitting in a chair and thinking about ways to be nicer next time. The Latin root of punishment and its related verb, punish, is punire, "punish, correct, take vengeance for, or cause pain for some offense."
Vocabulary lists containing punishment
Psychology
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"Nadia the Willful"
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The House of Hades
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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.
Unless correctional officers voluntarily recognize their obligations under RLUIPA, they will ultimately face no punishment for violating that federal law.
From Slate • Jun. 23, 2026
The NFL’s decision is a firm rebuke of a player who admitted to violating one of the most sensitive rules in all of sports—and then spent months trying to escape punishment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
Ms Hall said: "Why not go quietly? Why not take your punishment? You took a life – where is your regret? Where is your remorse?"
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026
In 2023, a Gallup Poll cited in an analysis of the California legislation found that 77% of principals nationwide reported taking recess away as punishment.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
The silent treatment would be Ophie’s punishment, but for now Mama seemed more intent on getting them out of the attic than anything else.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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.
