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

Detroit doesn’t just punish defensive miscues in the half court. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025

There's an implicit fear of failure and an ingrained cultural mindset that punishes not rewards those who dare to think differently. —Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025

There was the infamous time McMahon punished Triple H for hugging Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Shawn Michaels in the center of the ring at a house show, breaking kayfabe when this was something wrestlers didn't do. —Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025

Of the $15 million that the jury awarded Depp, $5 million was in punitive damages aimed to punish Heard for especially reprehensible conduct. —Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 19 Apr. 2025

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