punishes

verb

present tense third-person singular of punish
as in penalizes
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime the child was punished for breaking dishes on purpose if caught, the thief will be severely punished

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of punishes Sehnaoui's meeting with the Israeli leader occurred as some in Lebanon have called for abolishing a 1955 law that bans dealing with Israel or having contacts with Israelis and punishes offenders with up to 10 years in jail. — ABC News, 29 July 2026 Everybody is behaving sensibly inside a structure that punishes sense. — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 But Telegram founder Pavel Durov said the ban needlessly punishes the over 150 million Telegram users in the country, instead of the insiders who leaked the exam materials. — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 20 June 2026 Their primary concern is that the allocation formula punishes rec centers with large bank balances that city parks officials haven’t managed to spend on facilities upgrades or activities. — David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2026 Neither opposes innovation nor punishes success. — Tom Debley, Mercury News, 16 June 2026 Over the last several days, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton wrote a letter to the Big 12 threatening legal action if the conference punishes Texas Tech for playing Sorsby. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 June 2026 Politics punishes that disconnect. — John Shallman, Oc Register, 3 June 2026 Because what most directly punishes American physicians for seeking mental health care sits on a state medical licensure application. — Frances Mei Hardin, Boston Herald, 9 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishes
  1. penalizes
  2. fines
  3. criticizes
  4. chastises
  5. sentences
  6. corrects
Verb
  • Again in a system that cannot see the work and occasionally penalizes its symptoms.
    — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Adding another employee, buying a new piece of equipment, or expanding into a larger space all become harder when the tax code penalizes those investments.
    — Kent Strang, Boston Herald, 26 July 2026
Definition of penalizes
Verb
  • Whether the league responds to Booker’s complaints — or fines him for them — the conversation around officiating in this series is far from over.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
  • The state of California also fines taxpayers who didn’t withhold enough from their paychecks, with rates varying by offense.
    — Alexiah Syrai Olsen, Sacbee.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Definition of fines
Verb
  • That works beautifully against outsiders, and outsiders are most of who criticizes us.
    — Sachin H. Jain, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Mike Collins criticizes Jon Ossoff for relying on out-of-state donations.
    — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of criticizes
Verb
  • The respected 13th-century Spanish rabbi Nachmanides (Ramban) chastises Lot for the atrocity of offering his daughters in place of the angels.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
  • Levinson’s series has long trafficked as a kind of smutty after-school special, not unlike how Ryan Murphy delves into some of the nastiest gore imaginable and then chastises us for watching.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of chastises
Verb
  • Courts have upheld both inmates’ sentences Duckett and Occhicone were both convicted by juries, and appellate courts have denied multiple attempts to overturn their death sentences – although Duckett has maintained his innocence.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 26 July 2026
  • The founder's name anchors sentences about the company's achievements.
    — Joseph Byrum, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of sentences
Verb
  • Many travelers believe that a sling bag or crossbody can provide just as much security as a money belt, but Figgins corrects this.
    — Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2026
  • This report corrects the total number of dead from the 2009 fire at Bangkok's Santika nightclub to 67.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 July 2026
Definition of corrects

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Cite this Entry

“Punishes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishes. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of punishes for Spanish Speakers

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