as in penalty
suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense
he is serving five years in prison as punishment for aggravated assault
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Recent Examples of punishment
China doesn’t just have the ability to soak up punishment from the US in the form of tariffs and sanctions — the culmination of decades of Chinese industrial policy aimed at self-reliance in core technologies.
—
semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
The punishment would be up to a year in prison, a maximum fine of $10,000, or both.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Combs’ defense team insist 14 months is a more adequate punishment, which would translate to his near-immediate release from a federal detention center in Brooklyn for time served.
—Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
But that suspension, in my opinion, showed a gross misuse of authority by the league when a fine would be the proper punishment.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punishment
semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
The punishment would be up to a year in prison, a maximum fine of $10,000, or both.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Combs’ defense team insist 14 months is a more adequate punishment, which would translate to his near-immediate release from a federal detention center in Brooklyn for time served.
—Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
But that suspension, in my opinion, showed a gross misuse of authority by the league when a fine would be the proper punishment.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punishment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishment
Noun
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Ahead of Game 2, with his college career on the brink and the Terriers down another key forward in Tomlinson due to a Game 1 penalty, Sullivan approached Parker.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Following their 7-0 preseason loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday — a game which featured 322 penalty minutes, 65 total penalties, and 16 player ejections — the Lightning were fined $100,000 and head coach Jon Cooper fined $25,000.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Winter's wrath continues with another cold spell predicted for mid-February.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
3 Oct. 2025
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When Hernán helps Julia and her young daughter, Maribel, navigate treacherous borderlands, their desperate journey triggers the wrath of a ruthless trafficking syndicate.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishment. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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