Punishment is the act of punishing someone or of being punished.
...a group which campaigns against the physical punishment of children. [+ of]
I have no doubt that the man is guilty and that he deserves punishment.
Synonyms: penalizing, discipline, correction, retribution More Synonyms of punishment
2. variable noun
A punishment is a particular way of punishing someone.
The government is proposing tougher punishments for officials convicted of corruption. [+ for]
The usual punishment is a fine.
Synonyms: penalty, reward, sanction, penance More Synonyms of punishment
3. uncountable noun
You can use punishment to refer to severe physical treatment of any kind.
Don't expect these types of boot to take the punishment that gardening will givethem.
Synonyms: rough treatment, abuse, maltreatment More Synonyms of punishment
4. See also capital punishment, corporal punishment
More Synonyms of punishment
punishment in British English
(ˈpʌnɪʃmənt)
noun
1.
a penalty or sanction given for any crime or offence
2.
the act of punishing or state of being punished
3. informal
rough treatment
4. psychology
any aversive stimulus administered to an organism as part of training
punishment in American English
(ˈpʌnɪʃmənt)
noun
1.
a punishing or being punished
2.
a penalty imposed on an offender for a crime or wrongdoing
3.
harsh or injurious treatment
More idioms containing
punishment
a glutton for punishment
COBUILD Collocations
punishment
maximum punishment
unusual punishment
Examples of 'punishment' in a sentence
punishment
But taxpayers would not have to fund compensation if punishments fitted their crimes.
The Sun (2016)
It's time the punishment fitted the crime.
The Sun (2016)
We have to ask ourselves why we want sanctions: for punishment or actually to make things safer?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The investigation is understood to be in the advanced stages but the unit does not publish outcomes unless there is a fine or punishment.
The Sun (2016)
I hope the police manage to catch the perpetrators and they receive just punishment for their crime.
The Sun (2016)
There was no further punishment.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The charter reined in the forests and removed capital punishment or the loss of a limb for stealing the king's venison.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The FA cannot increase the punishment for offences dealt with by the match officials.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He was very gregarious and generous, and also a progressive politician who campaigned for the abolition of capital punishment and women's suffrage.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There were other ingenious punishments to suit particular crimes.
Iain Gale Man of Honour (2007)
Yet on crime and punishment it seemed to have taken leave of its senses.
The Sun (2010)
There are many arguments against capital punishment.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
But of course the act of punishment makes them unhappy.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The resignation is not a punishment in any way.
Christianity Today (2000)
It is precisely this difference between criminal sanction and sanction in general which distinguishes punishment from sanction.
de Haan, Willem The Politics of Redress - crime, punishment and penal abolition (1989)
The usual punishment is the closure of the section where the offence took place.
The Sun (2014)
To see him survive sustained physical punishment that day was inspiring and mildly disturbing.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The problem of crime and punishment comes up again and again in all sports.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The figures emerged after a new online drive to bring back capital punishment.
The Sun (2011)
The usual punishment for this would be prison.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There are many reasons for this movement away from physical punishment.
Siann, Gerda & Ugwuegbu, Denis C. E. Educational Psychology in a Changing World (1988)
The cautions mean the offender does not have to go to court and there is no further punishment.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
All of these crimes involve punishments that can range from unlimited fines and up to ten years imprisonment.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
These were not considered acts of corporal punishment but were the result of a loss of temper and control.
The Sun (2013)
The law takes over, enforced by sanctions and punishment.
Arthur Herman THE SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT: The Scots' Invention of the Modern World (2002)
Most need treatment, not punishment.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
I feel she's already got her punishment by the way she is.
The Sun (2012)
The knowledge that the original medieval punishment for this particular sin was'being dismembered alive' is some consolation to me.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Quotations
Let the punishment fit the crimeW.S. GilbertThe Mikado
Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shedBible: Genesis
They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwindBible: Hosea
Men are not hanged for stealing horses, but that horses may not be stolenGeorge Savile, Marquess of HalifaxPolitical, Moral, and Miscellaneous Thoughts
In other languages
punishment
British English: punishment /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/ NOUN
Punishment is the act of punishing someone or being punished.
The man is guilty and deserves punishment.
American English: punishment
Arabic: عِقَاب
Brazilian Portuguese: punição
Chinese: 惩罚
Croatian: kazna
Czech: trest
Danish: straf
Dutch: straf
European Spanish: castigo acto
Finnish: rangaistus
French: punition
German: Strafe
Greek: τιμωρία
Italian: punizione
Japanese: 処罰
Korean: 벌
Norwegian: straff
Polish: kara
European Portuguese: punição
Romanian: pedeapsă
Russian: наказание
Latin American Spanish: castigo
Swedish: straff
Thai: การลงโทษ
Turkish: ceza
Ukrainian: покарання
Vietnamese: sự trừng phạt
All related terms of 'punishment'
self-punishment
the act or an instance of punishing oneself
capital punishment
Capital punishment is punishment which involves the legal killing of a person who has committed a serious crime such as murder .
maximum punishment
A punishment is a particular way of punishing someone.
punishment beating
a form of corporal punishment carried out by a paramilitary organization on a member of another sectarian organization, usually in Northern Ireland
unusual punishment
A punishment is a particular way of punishing someone.
corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is the punishment of people by hitting them.
a glutton for punishment
a person who keeps on doing something which is unpleasant or difficult for them
be a bear for punishment
to be able to withstand much rough treatment; be rugged , tough , determined, etc.
Chinese translation of 'punishment'
punishment
(ˈpʌnɪʃmənt)
n
(u)惩(懲)罚(罰) (chéngfá)
(c/u) (= penalty) 处(處)罚(罰) (chǔfá) (次, cì)
to take a lot of punishment (fig)[car, machine, person, body]受到很大损(損)伤(傷) (shòudào hěn dà sǔnshāng)
1 (noun)
Definition
the act of punishing or state of being punished
The man is guilty and he deserves punishment.
Synonyms
penalizing
discipline
Order and discipline have been placed in the hands of headteachers.
correction
jails and other places of correction
retribution
He decided to get his retribution in first.
what for (informal)
chastening
just deserts
chastisement
punitive measures
2 (noun)
Definition
a penalty for a crime or offence
The usual punishment is a fine.
Synonyms
penalty
The maximum penalty is 7 years' imprisonment.
reward
They last night offered a £10,000 reward.
sanction
He expressed his opposition to lifting the sanctions.
penance
carrying out acts of penance for his sins
The penance imposed on her proved light.
comeuppance (slang)
The central character is an evil man who gets his comeuppance in the end.
3 (noun)
Definition
rough physical treatment
(informal)
He took a lot of punishment in the first few rounds of the fight.
Synonyms
beating
abuse
torture
alleged cases of torture
pain
Her eyes were filled with pain.
victimization
manhandling
maltreatment
rough treatment
4 (noun)
Definition
rough physical treatment
This bike isn't designed to take that kind of punishment.
Synonyms
rough treatment
abuse
an investigation into alleged animal abuse
maltreatment
The hospital shut down as a result of maltreatment of its patients.
related words
related phobiapoinephobia
Quotations
Let the punishment fit the crime [W.S. Gilbert – The Mikado]Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed [Bible: Genesis]They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind [Bible: Hosea]Men are not hanged for stealing horses, but that horses may not be stolen [George Savile, Marquess of Halifax – Political, Moral, and Miscellaneous Thoughts]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abuse
Definition
prolonged ill-treatment of or violence towards someone
an investigation into alleged animal abuse
Synonyms
maltreatment,
wrong,
damage,
injury,
hurt,
harm,
spoiling,
bullying,
oppression,
imposition,
mistreatment,
manhandling,
ill-treatment,
rough handling
in the sense of comeuppance
Definition
deserved punishment
The central character is an evil man who gets his comeuppance in the end.
Synonyms
punishment,
dues,
deserts,
retribution,
chastening,
recompense,
due reward,
requital,
merit
in the sense of correction
Definition
a reproof or punishment
jails and other places of correction
Synonyms
punishment,
discipline,
reformation,
admonition,
chastisement,
reproof,
castigation
Synonyms of 'punishment'
punishment
Explore 'punishment' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of discipline
Order and discipline have been placed in the hands of headteachers.
Synonyms
punishment,
penalty,
correction,
chastening,
chastisement,
punitive measures,
castigation
in the sense of maltreatment
The hospital shut down as a result of maltreatment of its patients.
Synonyms
abuse,
bullying,
mistreatment,
injury,
harm,
ill-treatment,
rough handling,
ill-usage
in the sense of pain
Definition
emotional suffering
Her eyes were filled with pain.
Synonyms
sorrow,
suffering,
torture,
distress,
despair,
grief,
misery,
agony,
sadness,
torment,
hardship,
bitterness,
woe,
anguish,
heartache,
affliction,
tribulation,
desolation,
wretchedness
in the sense of penance
Definition
voluntary self-punishment to make amends for a sin
carrying out acts of penance for his sinsThe penance imposed on her proved light.
Synonyms
atonement,
punishment,
penalty,
reparation,
expiation (formal),
sackcloth and ashes,
self-punishment,
self-mortification
in the sense of retribution
Definition
punishment or vengeance for evil deeds
He decided to get his retribution in first.
Synonyms
punishment,
retaliation,
reprisal,
redress,
justice,
reward,
reckoning,
compensation,
satisfaction,
revenge,
repayment,
vengeance,
Nemesis,
recompense,
an eye for an eye,
requital
in the sense of reward
Definition
a sum of money offered for finding a criminal or missing property
They last night offered a £10,000 reward.
Synonyms
payment,
return,
benefit,
profit,
gain,
prize,
wages,
honour,
compensation,
bonus,
premium,
merit,
repayment,
bounty,
remuneration,
recompense,
meed (archaic),
requital
in the sense of sanction
Definition
coercive measures, such as boycotts and trade embargoes, taken by one or more states against another guilty of violating international law
He expressed his opposition to lifting the sanctions.