punishment

noun

pun·ish·ment ˈpə-nish-mənt

Synonyms of punishment next

: the act of punishing

: suffering, pain, or loss that serves as retribution

: a penalty inflicted on an offender through judicial procedure

: severe, rough, or disastrous treatment

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 on the Web Key Background The vote could mark the first time Santos has faced formal punishment for the litany of ethical and criminal allegations against him that emerged shortly after his election to Congress in November of last year. —

Sara Dorn, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023 South Carolina is one of two states in the country without laws that allow harsher punishments for violent hate crimes. —

CBS News, 29 Nov. 2023 The judge, Jack Mattison, would decide his punishment for those crimes. —

Jennifer Gonnerman, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023 Allowing clubs to block rule changes and money to delay punishments feeds the perception that the same rules do not apply to everyone. —

Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023 Share [Findings] Psychopaths recommend harsher punishments for homicides, whether accidental or motivated by profit, but exhibit relatively low concern about killing in general. —

Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023 Karen kicks him out, and Harry’s punishment…is a month-long walkabout? —

Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023 More News None First degree murder In Arkansas, first degree murder is a Class Y felony with a range of punishment of 10 to 40 years in prison to life in prison. —

Tom Sissom, arkansasonline.com, 19 Nov. 2023 The report says that an investigative subcommittee decided to forgo taking steps that would have led to a lengthy sanctions hearing by the full Ethics panel, after which the panel could make recommendations about punishment to the full House. —

Kevin Freking, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'punishment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of punishment was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punishment. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

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Kids Definition

punishment

noun

pun·ish·ment ˈpən-ish-mənt

: the act of punishing

: the state or fact of being punished

persons undergoing punishment

: the penalty for a fault or crime

the punishment for robbery

: severe, rough, or disastrous treatment

Legal Definition

punishment

noun

pun·ish·ment

: the act of punishing

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