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
This belies the question of whether those who are looking to deliver punishment are acting in good faith, a concern that became part of the appeals court decision in the El Salvador case and has subsequently been raised in other courtrooms as well.
—
JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025
Also in 2018, the Federal Reserve put a growth cap on the bank as punishment for the account scandal.
—Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2025
In Africa, men and women could be captured in warfare and enslaved, or taken as part payment for a debt or as punishment for a criminal offense.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Here, beauty becomes literal violence as her mouth is pried open, and nourishment becomes punishment.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punishment
JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025
Also in 2018, the Federal Reserve put a growth cap on the bank as punishment for the account scandal.
—Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2025
In Africa, men and women could be captured in warfare and enslaved, or taken as part payment for a debt or as punishment for a criminal offense.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Here, beauty becomes literal violence as her mouth is pried open, and nourishment becomes punishment.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for punishment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishment
Noun
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Campaign ads, showing images of flash-mob robberies, promised voters that harsher penalties would put an end to basic items being locked away in display cases and funnel people repeatedly arrested for drug offenses in treatment.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
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If convicted, a person could face between 10 and 25 years in prison, depending on who the person is to the child and whether the child has a disability, among other factors that could increase penalties.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Disney is incredibly unlikely to ever admit that politics were a factor in Doctor Who‘s cancellation, but Jimmy Kimmel’s brief suspension was revealing of the company’s desire to minimize MAGA wrath.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
30 Oct. 2025
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Tarkenton and his Minnesota Vikings, of course, felt the Raiders’ wrath one January afternoon in Pasadena when Oakland trounced them in Super Bowl XI.—
Jon Becker,
Mercury News,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishment. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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