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
Prosecutors say the rebellion charge carries the most severe potential punishment.
—
Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 14 Jan. 2026
But there is no sign of punishment for officers who’ve used them.
—Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2026
Trump has a record of rewarding political supporters in exercising his pardon and commutation privileges, even beyond his decision to spare Duncan and Margaret Hunter and other white-collar convicts from federal punishment.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Mark Kelly isn't taking his punishment lying down.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punishment
Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 14 Jan. 2026
But there is no sign of punishment for officers who’ve used them.
—Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2026
Trump has a record of rewarding political supporters in exercising his pardon and commutation privileges, even beyond his decision to spare Duncan and Margaret Hunter and other white-collar convicts from federal punishment.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Mark Kelly isn't taking his punishment lying down.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punishment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishment
Noun
-
Hendrickson proved to be too much, and Suamataia was benched for Morris after allowing two sacks and taking two holding penalties in the second half.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Jimenez’s movement drags Forest centre-back Nikola Milenkovic up the pitch, allowing Smith Rowe to carry the ball forward and progress the attack, which leads to the award of the penalty that proves to be the game’s only goal.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Freedom of navigation is a core principle of international law, and the appetite of coastal countries to intervene – risking Russia’s wrath – is limited.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Inside, the fire’s wrath spared nothing, marking nearly every surface with smoke residue.—
Jason Carroll,
CNN Money,
18 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishment. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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