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Synonyms

punishment

American  
[puhn-ish-muhnt] / ˈpʌn ɪʃ mənt /

noun

  1. the act of punishing. punishing.

  2. the fact of being punished, as for an offense or fault.

  3. a penalty inflicted for an offense, fault, etc.

  4. severe handling or treatment.

punishment British  
/ ˈpʌnɪʃmənt /

noun

  1. a penalty or sanction given for any crime or offence

  2. the act of punishing or state of being punished

  3. informal rough treatment

  4. psychol any aversive stimulus administered to an organism as part of training

"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
punishment Idioms  

  1. see glutton for punishment.

Other Word Forms

  • nonpunishment noun
  • overpunishment noun
  • prepunishment noun
  • propunishment adjective
  • repunishment noun
  • self-punishment noun

Etymology

Origin of punishment

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English punysshement, from Anglo-French punisement, Old French punissement; equivalent to punish + -ment

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.