punishment

noun

pun·​ish·​ment ˈpə-nish-mənt 

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

Synonyms

• castigation
• chastisement
• comeuppance
• correction
• desert(s)
• discipline
• nemesis
• penalty
• wrath

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

Green has been banged up with back soreness this year and takes physical punishment nightly as the Warriors’ best interior defender. —Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024

My Lan to death for her role in a $12 billion fraud case, handing out one of the most severe punishments since the Communist Party began a crackdown on corruption. —Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024

Embezzlement of as little as 500 million Vietnamese dong — $20,000 — of government funds qualifies for such punishment, according to the group. —Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024

Israel’s military has drawn intense international condemnation for its military operations in Gaza, and many humanitarian groups have accused the country of breaching international law by exercising collective punishment. —Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024

There were no punishments in connection with the non-criminal violation of harassment in connection with the incident, and the assault misdemeanor was conditionally discharged. —Jeff Winter and Kristina Sgueglia, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024

If convicted of capital murder, Hernandez, Vasquez and Ma Ney Gay would have been sentenced to life without parole, the automatic punishment in cases in which a district attorney’s office waives the death penalty. —Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024

Gregory presents the divine in humanity, a reclamation; hell is about purification, not punishment. —Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024

In that light, the draconian sentence is punishment not only for a crime but also for shining a spotlight on decades of embarrassing failures, ones that were made clear to the entire country the day that Özer disappeared. —Leif Wenar, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing punishment

• capital punishment
• corporal punishment
• cruel and unusual punishment
• glutton for punishment
• self-punishment
• sucker for punishment

Kids Definition

punishment

noun

pun·​ish·​ment ˈpən-ish-mənt 

1

a

: the act of punishing

b

: the state or fact of being punished

persons undergoing punishment

2

: the penalty for a fault or crime

the punishment for robbery

3

: severe, rough, or disastrous treatment

Legal Definition

punishment

noun

pun·​ish·​ment

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