punishment

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noun pun·ish·ment \ ˈpə-nish-mənt \

Definition of punishment

1 :the act of punishing

2 a :suffering, pain, or loss that serves as retribution

b :a penalty inflicted on an offender through judicial procedure

3 :severe, rough, or disastrous treatment

See punishment defined for English-language learners

See punishment defined for kids

Examples of punishment in a Sentence

I took away my daughter's car keys as a punishment for her bad behavior.
The punishments that the government has inflicted on the protesters are severe and unjust.
The punishment for murder is life imprisonment.
Some religions teach that wicked people will suffer eternal punishment in hell after they die.

Recent Examples of punishment from the Web

Burfict appealed and had two games shaved off the punishment.

— joe kay, The Seattle Times, "Suspension for Bengals LB Burfict reduced to 3 games," 30 Aug. 2017
According to his office, offenses committed during a natural disaster allows the punishment to be enhanced.

— debbi baker, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Texas lawmakers vow zero tolerance for looters after some thefts reported," 29 Aug. 2017
But his addiction dolled out frequent punishment in other ways.

— beth warren, The Courier-Journal, "‘I was scared to get sober': He dealt heroin, now he's been clean six years," 24 Aug. 2017
Some graduates of conservative Liberty University are applying second order punishment by returning their diplomas to the school after the school’s president, Jerry Falwell Jr., tweeted his approval of Trump’s response to Charlottesville.

— jonathan haidt, The Atlantic, "Trump Breaks a Taboo—and Pays the Price," 21 Aug. 2017
Outside of the United States, other nations are experiencing a much higher frequency of attacks like Karli's and are enacting laws that will bring harsher punishments for similar crimes accordingly.

— savita iyer, Teen Vogue, "The Complex Task of Deterring Acid Attacks, Explained," 10 Aug. 2017
The punishments are being decided by institutions on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with Communist Party regulations.

— dennis normile, Science | AAAS, "China cracks down after investigation finds massive peer-review fraud," 31 July 2017
In the Trump administration, the barbed issue of Russian sanctions has taken on a strange, symbolic weight, alluding not so much to the government’s willingness to inflict punishment, but its hesitancy to.

— isobel thompson, The Hive, "Trump’s Hold on the Republican Party Begins to Break," 24 July 2017
Without a panel to rule speedily on disputes, and protection against trade remedies, NAFTA’s smaller members will be more vulnerable to the punishment that the United States metes out to other trading partners (see chart).

— The Economist, "The outlines of NAFTA 2 emerge," 20 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'punishment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of punishment

15th century

punishment Synonyms

PUNISHMENT Defined for English Language Learners

punishment

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noun

Definition of punishment for English Language Learners

: the act of punishing someone or a way of punishing someone
: the state of being punished
: rough physical treatment

PUNISHMENT Defined for Kids

punishment

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noun pun·ish·ment \ ˈpə-nish-mənt \

Definition of punishment for Students

1 :the act of making a wrongdoer suffer :the state of being made to suffer for wrongdoing

2 :the penalty for a wrong or crime

Word Root of punishment

The Latin word poena, meaning “punishment,” gives us the root pen or pun. Words from the Latin poena have something to do with punishments. A penalty is a punishment for doing something wrong. Anything penal, such as a group of laws, explains punishments for specific crimes. Punish and punishment also come from poena.

Law Dictionary

punishment

noun pun·ish·ment

legal Definition of punishment

1 :the act of punishing

2 :a penalty (as a fine or imprisonment) inflicted on an offender through the judicial and especially criminal process — see also cruel and unusual punishment