penalize (someone or something) for (something)

penalize (someone or something) for (something)

To subject someone to a penalty or punishment for some crime, offense, wrongdoing, or transgression. You can't penalize your students for simply speaking truthfully. The player was penalized for using performance-enhancing drugs. The regulatory committed penalized the company for failing to pay its fair share of taxes.See also: penalize

penalize someone for something

to punish someone for something. It's not fair to penalize her for being late. You needn't penalize yourself for the failure. It wasn't all your fault.See also: penalize