punishpun‧ish /ˈpʌnɪʃ/ ●●○ verb [transitive] 
Smacking is not an acceptable way of punishing a child. He promised to punish severely any officials found guilty of electoral fraud.punish somebody for (doing) something It’s unfair to punish a whole class for the actions of one or two students. They deserve to be punished for putting passengers at risk. I felt I was being punished for what my mother had done.punish somebody by doing something My parents decided to punish me by withdrawing financial support.punish somebody with something The House voted to punish the senator with a formal reprimand.2if a crime is punished in a particular way, anyone who is guilty of it is made to suffer in that waybe punished by/with something In some societies, theft is punished by death.GRAMMAR Punish is usually passive in this meaning.3punish yourself to make yourself feel guilty or bad for something you have done: If you fail, don’t punish yourself.THESAURUSpunish to do something unpleasant to someone because they have done something wrong or broken the law: · Drug smugglers are severely punished.· She wanted to punish him for deceiving her.fine to make someone pay money as a punishment: · The company was fined for safety violations.sentence if a judge sentences a criminal, he or she gives them an official punishment, usually sending them to prison for a period of time: · The judge sentenced Margolis to a year in prison.penalize (also penalise British English) to officially punish someone, especially by taking away their right to do something or by limiting their freedom in some way: · New laws will penalize firms that continue to pollute the environment.discipline to punish someone who has broken the rules of an organization that they belong to or work for: · Officers are expected to discipline soldiers who do not keep their uniforms in good condition.come down hard on somebody informal to punish someone or criticize them severely: · The judge came down hard on Harris, saying that his crime was ‘inexcusable’.make an example of somebody to punish someone so that other people are afraid to do the same thing: · Athletics officials felt they had to make an example of him for using banned drugs.teach somebody a lesson informal to do something in order to show someone that they must not do something again, when they have behaved very badly: · I didn't want to hurt him - I just wanted teach him a lesson.· Maybe a night in jail will teach him a lesson.make somebody pay (for something) informal to make someone wish they had never done something, by making them suffer: · We should make him pay for all the mischief he's caused!
WORD ORIGINpunish
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French punir, from Latin punire, from poena; ➔ PAIN1VERB TABLE
punish
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | punish |
| he, she, it | punishes | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | punished |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have punished |
| he, she, it | has punished | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had punished |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will punish |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have punished |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am punishing |
| he, she, it | is punishing | |
| you, we, they | are punishing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was punishing |
| you, we, they | were punishing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been punishing |
| he, she, it | has been punishing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been punishing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be punishing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been punishing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Deserting the army during war can be punished by death.
- His parents punished him for disobedience.
- Sanders should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
- She was suspended while the school decided how to punish her.
- The U.S. threatened to take away trading privileges as a way to punish the country for human rights violations.
- Two instructors were punished for harassing female students.
- He knew that if he didn't punish Oliver, his wife would never forgive him.
- She still refused to give up her son and instead was punished.
- She was always reluctant to punish him.
- The Court ruled that such speech could be punished even if it was not legally obscene and did not cause substantial disruption.
- The judge said he'd already been punished a thousand times.
- They were the men the politicians called when they wanted somebody transferred, promoted, punished.
THESAURUS
to do something unpleasant to someone because they have done something wrong or broken the law: · Drug smugglers are severely punished.· She wanted to punish him for deceiving her.
to make someone pay money as a punishment: · The company was fined for safety violations.
if a judge sentences a criminal, he or she gives them an official punishment, usually sending them to prison for a period of time: · The judge sentenced Margolis to a year in prison.
(also penalise British English) to officially punish someone, especially by taking away their right to do something or by limiting their freedom in some way: · New laws will penalize firms that continue to pollute the environment.
to punish someone who has broken the rules of an organization that they belong to or work for: · Officers are expected to discipline soldiers who do not keep their uniforms in good condition.
informal to punish someone or criticize them severely: · The judge came down hard on Harris, saying that his crime was ‘inexcusable’.
to punish someone so that other people are afraid to do the same thing: · Athletics officials felt they had to make an example of him for using banned drugs.
informal to do something in order to show someone that they must not do something again, when they have behaved very badly: · I didn't want to hurt him - I just wanted teach him a lesson.· Maybe a night in jail will teach him a lesson.
informal to make someone wish they had never done something, by making them suffer: · We should make him pay for all the mischief he's caused!
Longman Language Activatorto punish someone to do something unpleasant to someone because they have done something wrong, for example by putting them in prison, or making them do something that they do not want to do: · She was suspended while the school decided how to punish her.punish somebody for (doing) something: · His parents punished him for disobedience.· The U.S. threatened to take away trading privileges as a way to punish the country for human rights violations.· Two instructors were punished for harassing female students.
to make someone pay money as a punishment: · Inspectors have the power to fine any passenger travelling without a ticket.be fined £10/$100 etc: · She was fined $300 for reckless driving.fine somebody for (doing) something: · One player was fined for fighting during the game.· The state fined the company for safety violations.
to send someone to prison for a particular period of time: · Because of the serious nature of the crime, the judge gave him 20 years.give sb 6 years/10 months etc for: · After a long trial she was given a life sentence for the bombings.
if a judge sentences a criminal, he or she gives them an official punishment, usually sending them to prison for a period of time: sentence somebody for something: · Brown will be sentenced for a series of sexual assaults.sentence somebody to 20 years/life imprisonment etc: · The judge sentenced Margolis to a year in prison.sentence somebody to 20 years/life imprisonment etc for something: · Some countries will sentence you to seven or more years in prison for drug offences.sentence somebody to death: · 60 prisoners have been sentenced to death in political trials.
to punish someone because you want to make sure that they will not behave badly again: · I hope a night in the cells has taught you a lesson.· He was treating me badly, so I left - I just wanted to teach him a lesson.
informal to do something unpleasant to someone as a way of punishing them for something bad they have done to you or someone you know: · If I ever find out who did this, I'll make them pay!make sb pay for: · I wanted to make my father pay for his betrayal.· The prosecution asked jurors to make Mr. Sanderson pay for what he did.
also penalise British to officially punish someone, especially by taking away their right to do something or by limiting their freedom in some way: · New laws will penalize firms that continue to pollute the environment.· It is unfair that the whole class should be penalized because of the bad behaviour of a few students.penalize somebody for (doing) something: · A referee may penalise players for wasting time.· The House of Representatives voted to penalize him for ethics violations.
to punish someone who has broken the rules of an organization that they belong to or work for: · Officers are expected to discipline soldiers who do not keep their uniforms in good condition.be disciplined: · Anyone who is regularly late for work is likely to be disciplined or dismissed.· Even when Morton and Collins started fighting on the field, neither player was disciplined.
intended as a punishment: punitive action/measure/sanctions etc: · Government forces immediately took punitive action against the rebels.· The sanctions were a punitive measure used to try to force South Africa to reject apartheid.punitive damages (=money that a person or company has to pay to someone they have harmed - used in legal contexts): · The company was ordered to pay punitive damages in a sex discrimination case.
: disciplinary action/measures/charges etc actions etc that are intended to punish someone for breaking a rule or law or to force them to obey rules: · The committee members promised that appropriate disciplinary measures would be taken against the offenders.· So far, not a single person has faced prosecution or disciplinary action over the case.
to punish someone severely to immediately punish someone for something they have just done, because you want to make it clear that their actions are completely unacceptable: come down on for: · Mrs Green really came down on him for swearing.come down heavily/hard on somebody (=punish someone very severely): · In the examinations we shall come down hard on any student who attempts to cheat.· The authorities are threatening to come down more heavily on drink-driving offences.
informal if someone in authority throws the book at someone, they give them the severest punishment that can be given: · Unless you plead guilty, the prosecutors will throw the book at you.· Superior Court Judge Stephen Rosen threw the book at Davidson, sentencing him to six years in prison and ordering him to pay $1.6 million in restitution.
to not punish someone to not punish someone, or give them a less severe punishment than they deserve: · I'll let you off this time, but don't do it again.let somebody off with a warning/a fine etc (=only give them a warning etc, although they deserve a worse punishment): · He was caught shoplifting, but the police let him off with a warning.
an official order stopping or delaying someone's punishment, especially when the punishment is death: · The group protested against a possible reprieve for an inmate on death row in Texas.grant/give somebody a reprieve: · He was granted a reprieve only a few hours before his execution.
an official order forgiving people who have done something illegal or freeing prisoners - used especially in political contexts: issue/declare/proclaim an amnesty: · The President issued a general amnesty to all the rebels, including their leader.· The government has been forced to declare an amnesty for anyone who has not paid their taxes, because there are now too many to collect.
a punishment something that is done to someone in order to punish them: · In cases of sheep-stealing, the usual punishment was hanging.punishment for: · Punishments for bad behavior can range from time-outs to withdrawing privileges, such as televisioncapital punishment (=the system of punishing people by killing them): · Some people are demanding the return of capital punishment for murder.corporal punishment (=punishing people, especially children, by hitting them): · Corporal punishment was banned in Sweden in 1979.
an amount of money that you are ordered to pay as a punishment: get a fine (=be told to pay a fine): · I got a £100 fine for speeding.fine for (doing) something: · A fine will be imposed for overstaying your visa.· The penalty is a $250 fine for the first offense.a heavy fine (=a large fine): · There are heavy fines for drink-driving.
an official punishment for someone who breaks a law, a rule, or a legal agreement: penalty for: · The penalty for treason was always death.the death penalty (=a law that says you can be killed as a punishment): · Drug smugglers face the death penalty if they are caught.a heavy/severe/stiff penalty: · The contract includes stiff financial penalties for failure to complete the work on time.
a punishment given by a judge in a court: a prison sentence: · He got a 10-year prison sentence.the death sentence (=when someone is punished by being killed): · The victim's family are demanding the death sentence for his attacker.a life sentence (=the punishment of spending the rest of your life in prison): · Berger is serving a life sentence for the murders.a heavy/light sentence (=a long or short time in prison): · Evans was given a light sentence in return for giving information to the police.
formal when someone is severely punished for what they have done: · Employees need to be able to express their feelings without fear of retribution.retribution for: · Some officials felt that the bombings were retribution for the killing of the hijackers.divine retribution (=retribution from God): · The earthquake was seen by some people as divine retribution.
to get a particular punishment to be officially given a punishment: · He deserves to get at least 10 years in prison.· You'll probably just get a fine.· McLean was given a life sentence for his part in the bombing.
formal to be given a particular punishment by a court, especially a severe punishment: be condemned to 20 years/life imprisonment etc: · Thomas McMahon was condemned to life imprisonment for killing Lord Mountbatten.be condemned for murder/robbery/theft etc: · He was taken away after being condemned for robbery and armed assault.be condemned to death: · Lewis was condemned to death after a trial lasting a year and a half.condemned man/woman/prisoner (=someone who is condemned to death): · The prison rules allow no communication with a condemned man.
to be punished to be punished for something bad that you have done: · If you commit a crime you must expect to be punished.be punished for: · Ellen was punished for being rude to her teacher.be severely punished: · Anyone who disobeyed his orders was severely punished.
to suffer for having done something wrong, especially for breaking the law: · I've spent the last three years in jail. I tell you, I've paid for what I did.pay dearly for something (=be severely punished for something): · People who sell drugs to our children should pay dearly for it.
informal to be punished or held responsible for something bad, especially for something you did not do: · Until the cause of the accident was proven, the company made it clear that it was not willing to take the rap.take the rap for (doing) something: · The defense argued that Green was set up to take the rap for the murder of Roy Robinson.· I prefer driving; I don't want to take the rap for getting lost.
informal to be ready to accept punishment for something you have done: · Rather than face the music at a trial, Abingdon chose to plea bargain.
to not be punished informal if a criminal gets off , they get little or no official punishment for their crime: · If he gets off, it's because he has a smart lawyer.get off easy: · You got off easy; you should have been expelled.get off scot-free (=escape punishment completely): · Despite the evidence against him, Heston got off scot-free.
to do something wrong and not be caught or not be punished for it: · He probably got away with about a dozen crimes before he was finally arrested for one.get away with it: · He was the only child in the class who could be rude to the teacher and get away with it.get away with murder informal (=to be allowed to do anything you want and not be punished for it): · Ronnoe lets his kids get away with murder.
American informal to avoid being punished after breaking the law, especially because you cannot be proved guilty: · Frye was arrested on state and federal charges, but he managed to beat the rap.
if someone is able to do something wrong or illegal with impunity , they can do it without any risk of being punished: · If you see others breaking the law with impunity, you may be tempted to do the same.· The previous regime was corrupt, and government officials were able to flout the law with impunity.
if bad behaviour, crime etc goes unpunished, the person who behaved badly or did something wrong is not punished for it: · Guards involved in drug deals went unpunished.· Hate crimes will not be tolerated and will not go unpunished.
to not be punished severely enough to only receive a small punishment, especially when you deserve a much more severe one: · If you're lucky you'll get off with a warning, if you're not you'll have to pay a fine.· It's appalling that rapists can get off with such short prison sentences.get off lightly (=only receive a small punishment): · Phil kept complaining that the $500 fine was unfair, but I think he got off lightly.
informal a much smaller punishment that you deserve: · The fine was so low, it was little more than a slap on the wrist.· In the past, officers who mistreated prisoners often received a mere slap on the wrist.
when someone is likely to be punished especially spoken if you are in trouble , you are likely to be punished because you have done something bad: · You'll be in trouble if they catch you cheating.be in trouble with: · My sister's in trouble with the police again.get into trouble: · I'll get into trouble if my parents see me smoking.
informal use this to say that someone deserves to be punished or deserves something bad that happens to them: · A lot of people think the murdered man had it coming.have it coming to: · He had it coming to him, the jerk.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY He promised to punish severely any officials found guilty of electoral fraud. They deserve to be punished for putting passengers at risk.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
He promised to punish severely any officials found guilty of electoral fraud. They deserve to be punished for putting passengers at risk.· What concerned us more was the news that anyone sheltering or helping escaped prisoners-of-war would be severely punished.· He notes that whenever earnings problems have emerged, investors have severely punished stocks.· Again, if the early screams of protest have been severely punished, regard for their own need may feel too dangerous.· Belle has already been severely punished.· It means inflicting an injury which would be severely punished by a court of law if it was inflicted during an argument.· Anyone, even of their own number, who had harmed it would have been severely punished.· She had been intercepted outside Guy's room and would be severely punished, perhaps even killed.· Thorn threatened after the Van Exel incident to severely punish the next player who made physical contact with a referee.
NOUN· Institutionally, there are no mechanisms for punishing some one for deviant behaviour of any kind.· The butcher chases them off the rock with kicks and abusive shouts, as though punishing them for bad behaviour.
· Another Tory, David Evans, said parents should be punished if their children offend.· The moral way to resolve the problem is to keep people from entering rather than punishing their children once they are here.· Do threats to punish the child remain unfulfilled?· So I fell on my knees and asked them not to punish the child any more.· Ask teachers not to ignore, reject, or punish your child.
· We don't punish people for crimes if they are insane, because we have decided that they can't help it.· If so, it makes good sense that Zezolla is not punished for crimes she only imagined.· Then they led Linkworth to the hanging-shed to punish him for his crime.· The 1995 law punishes crack cocaine crimes 100 times more severely than powder cocaine crimes, the association said.· The law simply punishes individual crimes.· They established a three-tier court system which had exclusive authority to punish crime.· He had to be punished for the crime of being over thirty and not yet married.· The only way he knew to heal the pain of his humiliation was to punish her for the crime of leaving him.
· The law simply punishes individual crimes.· Tampering and destruction were barred by federal law and would be punished.· The purpose of the civil law is to compensate; it is the function of the criminal law to punish.· The 1995 law punishes crack cocaine crimes 100 times more severely than powder cocaine crimes, the association said.
· Tony Marlow says Britain has become too civilised and doesn't punish offenders properly.· The Act aimed to boost the fairness of fines, and introduced means-related unit fines as a way of punishing young offenders.
· Damages are designed not to punish the person in breach but to compensate for the loss sustained by the plaintiff.
· Of much greater practical significance, and by no means obsolete, is the power to punish for contempt.
· The court acknowledged that a state may punish a teacher who disrupts schooling.
VERB· This had so infuriated Moustaine that he had decided to punish them, which meant the rest of us as well.· All those products could face tariffs if Washington decided to punish the two countries.· Kelly Flinn, starred in a political and military soap opera last May while the military decided how to punish her.· If the Board of Higher Education had decided to punish City for its impertinence, it had succeeded admirably.
· Phoebe's short-lived psychiatrist boyfriend pointed this out: in Friends, any interloper, by interloping, deserved to be punished.· Those not following their prescriptions deserve to be punished.· We deserve to be punished because we considered ourselves over and above the deceased.
· It was not designed to punish us.· Punitive damages are designed to punish and deter misconduct.· Damages are designed not to punish the person in breach but to compensate for the loss sustained by the plaintiff.· But the estate also is asking for punitive damages, designed to punish Simpson for his conduct.· Both victims' estates have filed claims for punitive damages, which are designed to punish the killer and deter future slayings.
· In the broadest sense, there are two such systems: rewarding circuits and punishing circuits.· But they also reward or punish behavior: The deduction for charitable contributions underwrites generosity.· Virtue is rewarded and vice punished.· The implications of measurement to employees was that performance on something being measured would be rewarded if good and punished if bad.· And the push to reward, not just punish, is echoed across the Phoenix area.· How do you motivate people when there is no way to reward the efficient or punish the laggard?· It was neither rewarded nor punished.
· In other societies these would be war crimes, to be tried and punished.· I tried punishing him for it, but that only made it worse.· Fraudulent acts would be tried as misdemeanours and punished by up to two years in prison with or without hard labour.· Had this tribunal the legal power and authority to try and punish this man?· I am not trying to punish you for what Steve did to Maria Luisa.· She wanted no part of some one trying to punish her husband for something she obviously regarded as between him and her.· How I try to punish my parents with my sharp tongue.
· They had wanted Leyland punished, that much I know, and to them, the system had failed.· Suddenly, I want to punish him, to make him pay for my invisibility.· So you want to punish me, do you?· You can apply to my father for money if you still want to punish him for not backing you.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
- Do not attempt to punish yourself for not making adequate progress.
- Do you punish yourself or feel guilty if you fail?
- He himself does nothing wrong yet he still punishes himself for other's wrong doings.
- However, Gottlieb did not punish herself with guilt.
- Perhaps you felt guilty about ignoring a charity collection, and so decided to punish yourself?
- She was very sorry for her mistake and was therefore punishing herself by agreeing to marry him.
- Sometimes he punished himself when others were inclined to exonerate him.
- Such resistance to being well necessitated the idea of unconscious forces of guilt; the patients sought to punish themselves through illness.
WORD FAMILYadjectivepunishablepunishingunpunishedpunitivenounpunishmentverbpunish
1to make someone suffer because they have done something wrong or broken the law: Smacking is not an acceptable way of punishing a child. He promised to punish severely any officials found guilty of electoral fraud.punish somebody for (doing) something It’s unfair to punish a whole class for the actions of one or two students. They deserve to be punished for putting passengers at risk. I felt I was being punished for what my mother had done.punish somebody by doing something My parents decided to punish me by withdrawing financial support.punish somebody with something The House voted to punish the senator with a formal reprimand.2if a crime is punished in a particular way, anyone who is guilty of it is made to suffer in that waybe punished by/with something In some societies, theft is punished by death.GRAMMAR Punish is usually passive in this meaning.3punish yourself to make yourself feel guilty or bad for something you have done: If you fail, don’t punish yourself.THESAURUSpunish to do something unpleasant to someone because they have done something wrong or broken the law: · Drug smugglers are severely punished.· She wanted to punish him for deceiving her.fine to make someone pay money as a punishment: · The company was fined for safety violations.sentence if a judge sentences a criminal, he or she gives them an official punishment, usually sending them to prison for a period of time: · The judge sentenced Margolis to a year in prison.penalize (also penalise British English) to officially punish someone, especially by taking away their right to do something or by limiting their freedom in some way: · New laws will penalize firms that continue to pollute the environment.discipline to punish someone who has broken the rules of an organization that they belong to or work for: · Officers are expected to discipline soldiers who do not keep their uniforms in good condition.come down hard on somebody informal to punish someone or criticize them severely: · The judge came down hard on Harris, saying that his crime was ‘inexcusable’.make an example of somebody to punish someone so that other people are afraid to do the same thing: · Athletics officials felt they had to make an example of him for using banned drugs.teach somebody a lesson informal to do something in order to show someone that they must not do something again, when they have behaved very badly: · I didn't want to hurt him - I just wanted teach him a lesson.· Maybe a night in jail will teach him a lesson.make somebody pay (for something) informal to make someone wish they had never done something, by making them suffer: · We should make him pay for all the mischief he's caused!