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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 punishment
Last week, a group of women who lost children to overdoses spoke with reporters to protest government policies that emphasize punishment and incarceration.
—
Mike Stobbe, Fortune, 13 May 2026
The plea agreement stipulated the punishment run concurrently with the life sentence as opposed to consecutively.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2026
Like the nun Beate before her, Susanna seems destined, as punishment for her overwhelming ardor, to be walled into the convent.
—Caroline Lillian Schopp, Artforum, 13 May 2026
However, the only punishment on record came in 2003 when Detroit was fined $200,000 for hiring Steve Mariucci before interviewing a minority candidate.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for punishment
Mike Stobbe, Fortune, 13 May 2026
The plea agreement stipulated the punishment run concurrently with the life sentence as opposed to consecutively.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2026
Like the nun Beate before her, Susanna seems destined, as punishment for her overwhelming ardor, to be walled into the convent.
—Caroline Lillian Schopp, Artforum, 13 May 2026
However, the only punishment on record came in 2003 when Detroit was fined $200,000 for hiring Steve Mariucci before interviewing a minority candidate.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for punishment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishment
Noun
-
Remarkably, their five league draws this season have resulted from equalising goals conceded in the 96th, 92nd, 94th, 97th and 88th minutes, the last three of which — against Paris FC, Strasbourg and Nice — were all penalties.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
The company was hit with the maximum civil penalty of $5,000 per violation, totaling $375 million.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Joao Gomes, one of the few current players to escape the wrath of disgruntled supporters, lingered on the pitch after his team-mates had left following a brief, post-match lap of appreciation.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
One of the most significant was the hurdle of engineering the enclave to harmonize with nature to resist the wrath of disasters, says Syd Kitson, founder and visionary behind Babcock Ranch.—
Jeffrey Steele,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishment. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
