noun
-
a penalty or sanction given for any crime or offence
-
the act of punishing or state of being punished
-
informal rough treatment
-
psychol any aversive stimulus administered to an organism as part of training
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Nadia the Willful"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The House of Hades
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Alphonsi, who won 74 caps for England, said she felt let down by Smith's punishment.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Capital punishment may be “alive” in the United States, but it is not well.
From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026
“The punishment should fit the offense. You’d agree with that, right?”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
Thursday’s nine-year ban by the Insolvency Service, a government agency that investigates failed companies, is the first formal punishment of the Australian financier over the bankruptcy of Greensill Capital.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
I was afraid of the punishment for whatever crime I may have committed.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
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.
