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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of punishment
But many instructors don’t report incidents of cheating to administrators responsible for enforcing those rules and meting out punishments.
—
Austin Sarat,
The Conversation,
17 June 2026
The woman appeared at the sentencing to ask the judge to hand down a tough punishment, local TV station WBRZ reported.
—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 June 2026
The maximum punishment for a misdemeanor hit-and-run in California is six months in county jail and a $1,000 fine.
—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
In some places, women who might test positive for substances are afraid to seek prenatal care out of fear of punishment.
—
Jeffrey D. Klausner,
STAT,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for punishment
Austin Sarat,
The Conversation,
17 June 2026
The woman appeared at the sentencing to ask the judge to hand down a tough punishment, local TV station WBRZ reported.
—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 June 2026
The maximum punishment for a misdemeanor hit-and-run in California is six months in county jail and a $1,000 fine.
—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
In some places, women who might test positive for substances are afraid to seek prenatal care out of fear of punishment.
—
Jeffrey D. Klausner,
STAT,
17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for punishment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishment
Noun
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Of the $705 million hospitals owed the state, about $478 million of that was from unpaid hospital assessments and related penalties, as of March.
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At the final whistle, the Curaçao team mobbed Room in the penalty area before journeying some 40 yards behind him to celebrate with Curaçao fans in attendance.
Noun
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Anthropic has advocated for more stringent AI regulations — at times incurring the wrath of the Pentagon and White House — while OpenAI has pushed a more hands-off approach.
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Armed with a name, Polyphemus is able to call down his father’s wrath on Odysseus.
Cite this Entry
“Punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishment. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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