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
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Recent Examples of punishments
The work that matters now is not designing punishments for China.
—
Eyck Freymann, Time, 17 Apr. 2026
None of the students involved in a group chat that shared racist slurs and antisemitic speech have faced suspension or expulsion since the chats came to light five weeks ago and Nuñez announced stiff punishments were on the table.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
López’s failure to drop the baseball before swinging would factor into the judgment, although MLB does not have a standardized metric in which specific actions trigger specific punishments.
—Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Studies show false-positive rates are especially high in prisons, which can lead to unfair punishments for inmates.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
In the morning, she was forced to clean the urine and further had to write Bible verses as punishments, per the arrest report.
—Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026
As punishments, the girl was required to write Bible verses and tread water for as long as 45 minutes.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
The victim in the case reported that she was subjected to more frequent punishments and restrictions than the couple's six other children.
—Abby Dodge, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
Most Muslim majority counties have laws that reference shaira, and some countries’ have laws that critics say include cruel punishments or place undue restrictions on women and minorities, per the council.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2026
Eyck Freymann, Time, 17 Apr. 2026
None of the students involved in a group chat that shared racist slurs and antisemitic speech have faced suspension or expulsion since the chats came to light five weeks ago and Nuñez announced stiff punishments were on the table.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
López’s failure to drop the baseball before swinging would factor into the judgment, although MLB does not have a standardized metric in which specific actions trigger specific punishments.
—Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Studies show false-positive rates are especially high in prisons, which can lead to unfair punishments for inmates.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
In the morning, she was forced to clean the urine and further had to write Bible verses as punishments, per the arrest report.
—Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026
As punishments, the girl was required to write Bible verses and tread water for as long as 45 minutes.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
The victim in the case reported that she was subjected to more frequent punishments and restrictions than the couple's six other children.
—Abby Dodge, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
Most Muslim majority counties have laws that reference shaira, and some countries’ have laws that critics say include cruel punishments or place undue restrictions on women and minorities, per the council.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishments
penalties
Noun
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The Capitals are 17-7-1 in games their opponents commit more penalties.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The other bill would decriminalize the substance, removing the current legal penalties that exist for anyone caught with some.—
Esme Murphy,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punishments.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishments. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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