1Inflict a penalty or sanction on (someone) as retribution for an offence, especially a transgression of a legal or moral code.

1. 1.1 Inflict a penalty or sanction on someone for (such an offence)
   fraudulent acts would be punished by up to two years in prison

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The usual business of his court was to punish misdemeanours: public drunkenness, reckless driving, petty theft.
   • After all, the First Amendment has long recognized the legitimate government interest in preventing and punishing fraud.
   • The international tribunal the former president lacks the legitimacy needed to punish war crimes.
   • Turn-of-the-century Chicago had a radical idea: Don't just punish crime, but reform criminals and the society that produced them.
   • Their crimes are punished by a barbaric law, that of June 10, 1835, the sole penalty of which is execution.
   • Can an Ohio court punish the gruesome murder of two college students that occurred in Pennsylvania?
   • The inclusion of international law provides the State with a wider scope for punishing crimes than mere reliance on national criminal law.
   • The official failure to condemn or punish rape gives it an overt political sanction, which allows rape and other forms of torture and ill-treatment to become tools of military strategy.
   • Then when Jed were penalised for a stamping offence, Stenhouse punished the misdemeanour with well-struck kick to put the Greens eight points ahead.
   • No international body is entrusted with the task of prosecuting and punishing those criminal offences.
   • In updating the law on spousal rape, prosecutors in Arizona should punish that crime no differently than any other rape.
   • But it is far from evident that to punish the crime of homicide with death is the most just punishment or is just at all.
   • She said that she was not, but that it would have been something of a non-issue, because most felonies in those days were crimes punished by death.
   • My overall opinion is that capital punishment is an effective deterrent for crime, and as such, should be used to punish the extreme crimes, such as mentioned earlier.
   • The same law punishes theft by cutting off a hand.
   • Anything that punishes crime and prevents the use of guns has to be a good thing.
   • Most rules were justified on the basis of injunctions by the spirits of the land, who were believed to punish any infraction.
   • This same unelected President schemes to exempt Americans from the jurisdiction of the new International Criminal Court, which punishes crimes against humanity.
   • He is talking, believe it or not, about an overdue, ponderous but worthy apparatus for punishing war crimes.
   • These petitions helped us understand that neither Wheeler's family nor his community regarded the death penalty as the only way to punish his crime.
2. 1.2informal Capitalize on (an opponent's mistake), especially in sport.
   Australia punished Ireland's handling blunders and scored three tries

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The visitors took the lead through Paul Coffey after 15 minutes, who was on hand to punish a mix-up between goalkeeper Colin McCabe and Willie Holligan.
   • One lapse of concentration costs you dearly at this level and any mistakes are generally punished with a goal.
   • Skolars punished the schoolboy error with Obi Ijeoma driving over for a try.
   • Yorkshire mistakes were punished all afternoon by the Red Rose men, none more so than at the line-out where John Lawn was again having difficulty in finding his jumpers.
   • He never hesitated to punish the mistakes of his opponents.
   • However, the big Dutchman recovered before Gareth Evans could punish the mistake.
   • Wanderers scented a draw but instead got caught on the break and Nick Chadwick punished errors by Poole and Mike Whitlow to wrap up the game five minutes from time.
   • They made the worst possible start, with Stuart Reardon dropping a kick cold and Warrington punishing the error with a third-minute try.
   • They dominated against Blyth Spartans but the one mistake they made was punished and handed the visitors a share of the spoils.
   • Once again, however, and against the run of play, the home side punished Keighley's mistakes.
   • Elland punished the mistake with a converted try and another interception gave the home side an 18-4 lead at the break.
   • Bunnanadden went back in front at the end of the third quarter with a well-struck point from play from Barry Gilhooley who punished a mistake by Gary Hannon in the winners' defence.
   • But this is the Premiership and it is a harsh, unforgiving place where points don't come cheaply, where missed chances cost you dear and mistakes are mercilessly punished.
   • You make similar mistakes against lower rated opponents but, of course, they are less likely to punish your mistakes, and they give you less opportunity to make them.
   • His miss handed Cougars a scrum in front of the posts - but they let him off the hook by not punishing his mistake with a score.
   • We can beat any of the teams in our division on our day but at this level any mistake you make is punished and we have had to adjust to that.
   • Gomersal came back in the second half to punish mistakes and take the game 2-1.
   • In the modern game, every mistake is punished and Townsend makes far too many.
   • Melling punished the error and Twist didn't win another frame.
   • A Craig MacMillan tap-in and another from Hart, punishing a goalkeeping mistake, made it four by the break.

   Synonyms

   exploit, take advantage of, put to advantage, use, make use of, turn to (one's) account, profit by/from, capitalize on, cash in on, trade on

   informal walk all over
3. 1.3 Treat (someone) in an unfairly harsh way.
   a rise in prescription charges would punish the poor

   Example sentencesExamples

   • It is anticipated the most punishing charges would be restricted to the M25 and major routes into London during rush hours.
   • This unfairly punishes students from lower income backgrounds twice, because they depend more on financial aid.
   • It also started inflation, the most punishing thing that the poor can suffer.
   • Today they pushed through the special-interest bankruptcy bill, punishing the very poorest members of society.
   • This unfairly punishes students of lower income twice, because it is students of lower income who depend on financial aid more.
   • Dr Fundanga said all that was needed was a comprehensive framework for enforcement rather than on an ad hoc basis because this would end up punishing some members unfairly.
   • The measures directed against teenagers in particular ‘is unduly harsh and punishes someone for merely being present.’
   • Don't you think it unfair to punish a Medicaid patient who maybe has had prostate cancer and radiation or surgery and Viagra might help him sexually?
   • By going to this extreme you are unfairly punishing the individual in the pursuit of spiteful gossip.
   • What are you benefiting from punishing the poor people?
   • This is the type of thing I've been in favour of for a long time. I really believe the tax code should be modified to reward healthy and environmentally sound choices and to punish poor ones.
   • It is unfair and impractical to punish motorists without offering them a genuine alternative.
   • The Lib Dem's national transport spokesman, John Thurso, claimed that charges were punishing motorists without reducing congestion.
   • However, critics of the tax, including many in the restaurant industry, have dubbed it the ‘fat tax’ and say it unfairly punishes the poor.
   • He wants to see Hydro drop its flat residential tax rate of $33 per month, which he says unfairly punishes those living in small, single-room dwellings.
   • It has never managed to explain that discrepancy in its philosophy - punish poor people and they will do better, and reward rich people and they will do better.
   • Patti Fritz argues that such a fee unfairly punishes elderly residents who put away savings for their retirement years.
   • Workers said they oppose the rule because it unfairly punishes companies, many of which are forced to hire more staffers than they would otherwise need to compensate.
   • He said it was unfair that women were punished in situations such as Lawal's while the men get off.
   • Why punish consumers with water charges that can't be justified?

   Synonyms

   treat harshly/unfairly, be unfair to, unfairly disadvantage, put at an unfair disadvantage, put in an unfavourable position, handicap, do a disservice to, make someone suffer, hurt, wrong, ill-use, maltreat
4. 1.4 Subject to severe and debilitating treatment.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Body shapes changed almost overnight as the effects of a famously punishing routine which included speedball sessions and was rounded off by hopping up the stairs at the Athletic Ground began to take their toll.
   • It is now, it seems, obligatory to have a scene where a hot young educator has sex - cue punishing sound effects - in the classroom with someone inappropriate.
   • Of course no-one but a Hollywood star would undertake a regime as punishing as that which transformed Croft's pixellated curves into flesh.
   • But in my office, when I have nothing to do, the world seems do dismal, pointless and punishing that it can be hard to remember flowers and sunshine.
   • Arshad Khan bowled with accuracy and determination and Danish Kaneria showed his thick skin, ignoring the relentless punishing he got, and coming back to bowl superbly at the end of the day.
   • Modern combat may be less strenuous than it was in the age of the heavily-armored Greek hoplite, but it is still physically punishing.
   • The time difference was punishing; games televised at 2.30 am, 5.30 am and 7.30 am.
   • Spokesman John Williams said: ‘Staff said this weekend was punishing.’
   • His length had improved and he was much more severe in punishing any loose shots played by Darwish.
   • His counter techniques and blocks were often harder than Soken's, however, and often punishing.
   • Banks are, in effect, punishing the most competitive companies for their own sins in lending to uncompetitive ones.
   • The film is a lot of fun to watch but obviously it must have been physically demanding and punishing.
   • And then there's the conflict avoider marriages, where it's just too punishing for them to disagree on anything so they just tiptoe around the subjects.
   • It was hard to imagine how that merry prankster and mistress of worthy causes could be subject to such punishing mood swings.
   • Nevertheless he followed, stones punishing against his tough foot pads, the silvery cloak of daemonthread threatening to tangle his legs, the breath rushing in his lungs.
   • But Bachelard opposes his notion to the ‘pessimism’ of that of Freud, who, of course, saw moral conscience as cruel and punishing.
   • Recoil is heavy though not punishing and would probably be hardly noticed when shooting big game.
   • Seems perfectly reasonable to me that the Doctor's control of the energy would be more punishing and exhausting - even damaging - than Rose's.
   • The awesome, all-encompassing responsibility of the producer, who oversees every stage of the film-making process, can be punishing.
   • He may be right, but his sour remarks are outside the range of permissible discourse on this subject, which is either pious or punishing.

   Synonyms

   onerous, taxing, difficult, hard, heavy, laborious, burdensome, strenuous, vigorous, back-breaking, stiff, uphill, relentless, herculean