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
The outlet reported that the parents also withheld food from their children as punishment.
—
Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
His remarks about Iran moved beyond personal attacks or chest-thumping nationalism to take on a tone of collective punishment and civilizational destruction.
—Stephanie A, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026
Federal prosecutors, however, argued the punishment should be more severe.
—Jack Hannah, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
That means the current collective punishment of Cuban civilians legally constitutes a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
—Mark Weisbrot, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punishment
Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026
His remarks about Iran moved beyond personal attacks or chest-thumping nationalism to take on a tone of collective punishment and civilizational destruction.
—Stephanie A, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2026
Federal prosecutors, however, argued the punishment should be more severe.
—Jack Hannah, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
That means the current collective punishment of Cuban civilians legally constitutes a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
—Mark Weisbrot, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punishment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishment
Noun
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While battery-electric vehicles have already reached large-scale adoption in China, the weight penalty continues to leave room for alternative propulsion pathways to emerge.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Apr. 2026
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If your return is more than 60 days late, there's also a minimum penalty for late filing.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The immediate object of Uthmeier’s wrath is the Rooney Rule, voluntarily adopted more than two decades ago by the NFL to ensure that minority candidates are interviewed for coaching positions.—
Howard L. Simon,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2026
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But in removing Zhang, Xi is sending a signal that no one is safe from his wrath.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishment. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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