punished; punishing; punishes
1
a
: to impose a penalty on for a fault, offense, or violation
b
: to inflict a penalty for the commission of (an offense) in retribution or retaliation
2
a
: to deal with roughly or harshly
b
: to inflict injury on : hurt
: to inflict punishment
Examples of punish in a Sentence
I think that murderers should be punished by life imprisonment.
She was punished for lying.
His parents punished him by taking away his allowance.
How should I punish my child's misbehavior?
State law punishes fraud with fines.
Recent Examples on the Web
Months later, the university punished several of the dozen involved.
—
Cate Charron, IndyStar, 3 Feb. 2026
Since then, Turkish courts have unvaryingly punished Erdoğan’s rivals and released individuals who had physically attacked opposition figures; judges are unable to make independent decisions for fear of losing their jobs.
—Kaya Genç, The Dial, 3 Feb. 2026
Violators can be punished with fines up to $500 and three months in jail under one anti-begging law and with fines starting at up to $100 and 10 days in jail under a law against soliciting contributions from people in cars.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
And while the money was good, the pace was punishing, with eight shows a week on a 30-week tour.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punish
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Cate Charron, IndyStar, 3 Feb. 2026
Since then, Turkish courts have unvaryingly punished Erdoğan’s rivals and released individuals who had physically attacked opposition figures; judges are unable to make independent decisions for fear of losing their jobs.
—Kaya Genç, The Dial, 3 Feb. 2026
Violators can be punished with fines up to $500 and three months in jail under one anti-begging law and with fines starting at up to $100 and 10 days in jail under a law against soliciting contributions from people in cars.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
And while the money was good, the pace was punishing, with eight shows a week on a 30-week tour.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punish
Cite this Entry
“Punish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punish. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
punish
transitive verb
pun·ish
ˈpə-nish 
1
: to impose a penalty on for a fault, offense, or violation
2
: to inflict a penalty for the commission of (an offense) in retribution or retaliation or as a deterrent
: to inflict punishment
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