punish

verb

pun·​ish ˈpə-nish 

punished; punishing; punishes

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to inflict punishment

punishability

ˌpə-nish-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

punishable

ˈpə-nish-ə-bəl 

adjective

punisher noun

Synonyms

• castigate
• chasten
• chastise
• correct
• discipline
• penalize

Choose the Right Synonym for punish

punish, chastise, castigate, chasten, discipline, correct mean to inflict a penalty on in requital for wrongdoing.

punish implies subjecting to a penalty for wrongdoing.

punished for stealing

chastise may apply to either the infliction of corporal punishment or to verbal censure or denunciation.

chastised his son for neglecting his studies

castigate usually implies a severe, typically public censure.

an editorial castigating the entire city council

chasten suggests any affliction or trial that leaves one humbled or subdued.

chastened by a landslide election defeat

discipline implies a punishing or chastening in order to bring under control.

parents must discipline their children

correct implies punishing aimed at reforming an offender.

the function of prison is to correct the wrongdoer

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

Extrinsic motivation also propels people to work in order to not get punished. —Nicole Lipkin, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023

Meanwhile, some rank-and-file SJP members say their activism has been wrongly punished and incorrectly conflated with the national committee’s rhetoric. —Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 24 Nov. 2023

Mayhew lodged a complaint against the collections agency with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, arguing that she should not be punished for leaving a company that jeopardized her safety. —Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein, New York Times, 20 Nov. 2023

Meanwhile, Congress is on the verge of saddling the economy with a tax code that punishes employers who invest in themselves, fights the Federal Reserve’s disinflation effort, and scores an own goal in favor of our enemies abroad. —Ryan Ellis, National Review, 14 Nov. 2023

The punishing military doctrine that Israel may be following in Gaza Some Israeli officials are sanguine, if unapologetic, about what their operation is doing to Palestinians. —Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023

This summer, the Federal Trade Commission proposed a sweeping rule that would punish businesses for buying or selling fake reviews, among other restrictions. —Stuart A. Thompson, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023

In a letter addressed to the French on Nov. 12, Mr. Macron vowed that perpetrators will be prosecuted and punished. —Sylvie Corbet and Barbara Surk, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Nov. 2023

The Big Ten just jumped ahead of the NCAA, which has rules directing its lengthy investigative process, to punish one of its two bell-cow programs in the midst of an unbeaten season. —J. Brady McCollough, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Middle English punisshen, from Anglo-French puniss-, stem of punir, from Latin punire, from poena penalty — more at pain entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

punish

verb

pun·​ish ˈpən-ish 

1

: to cause to experience pain or suffering for having done wrong

punish criminals with imprisonment

2

: to inflict punishment for

punish misbehavior

3

: to deal with or handle severely or roughly

badly punished by an opponent

punishable

-ə-bəl 

adjective

punisher noun

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

intransitive verb

: to inflict punishment

punishability

ˌpə-ni-shə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

punishable

ˈpə-ni-shə-bəl 

adjective

punisher noun