as in penalties
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 punishments
The passage of Proposition 36, a tougher-on-crime law that placed stricter punishments on repeat drug and theft offenders, has given both agencies more opportunities to try to help those in custody suffering from drug addiction.
—
Nathaniel Percy, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
The league has noticeably grown more strict regarding punishments for hip-drop tackles.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
More than a dozen employees, from a Tennessee high school science teacher to a landscape supervisor at Auburn University, have sued over allegations their punishments violate the First Amendment.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 31 Oct. 2025
Arbitrary rulemaking and punishments, absurdism and fringe beliefs are part and parcel of Lanthimos’ storytelling.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
Harrison has come under fire from the law enforcement ranks and families of crime victims who felt her punishments were too lenient.
—Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 14 Oct. 2025
India’s new anti-betting law poses serious punishments for offenders, including potential prison terms for people who facilitate, promote or finance for-money online gaming.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Now under new ownership, with their star out for a very long time and the looming punishments of repeating in the second apron, the Celtics decided to gut the team for financial reasons.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
If convicted of the charges, Griffith faces punishments ranging from a fine of $1 to 270 days in jail.
—Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
Nathaniel Percy, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
The league has noticeably grown more strict regarding punishments for hip-drop tackles.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
More than a dozen employees, from a Tennessee high school science teacher to a landscape supervisor at Auburn University, have sued over allegations their punishments violate the First Amendment.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 31 Oct. 2025
Arbitrary rulemaking and punishments, absurdism and fringe beliefs are part and parcel of Lanthimos’ storytelling.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
Harrison has come under fire from the law enforcement ranks and families of crime victims who felt her punishments were too lenient.
—Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 14 Oct. 2025
India’s new anti-betting law poses serious punishments for offenders, including potential prison terms for people who facilitate, promote or finance for-money online gaming.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Now under new ownership, with their star out for a very long time and the looming punishments of repeating in the second apron, the Celtics decided to gut the team for financial reasons.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
If convicted of the charges, Griffith faces punishments ranging from a fine of $1 to 270 days in jail.
—Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishments
penalties
Noun
-
The airline is allowing passengers to change, cancel, or refund their flights without any penalties and has advised them to visit the website or app to check the status of flights or to explore alternative options.—
Amanda Greenwood,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Banks had two costly penalties to set up a Bears field goal and appeared to blow the coverage on the Odunze touchdown, so the coaches instead went with a seventh-round pick on the game’s most critical drive.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Punishments.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishments. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share