punish
verb (used with object)
to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault.
was punishing
-
past progressiveof punish.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
One of the factors that weighed the most heavily in the court’s decision again was that Indiana was punishing speech about something that was legal and protected in other states.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
Roebuck finished with 29 points and was punishing the Wolverines with his strength driving and drawing fouls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
The department said it was punishing them because they were “uncooperative” with its investigation, citing problems with their documentation including untranslated Italian words, undefined acronyms and failure to provide requested information.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025
But in his decision Judge Charles Breyer said Mr Musk was "punishing the defendants for their speech".
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2024
Rishi tried to catch Dimple’s eye, but she kept shoveling in French fry after French fry like she was punishing them with her teeth.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
