punishverb [ T ]
uk/ˈpʌn.ɪʃ/us/ˈpʌn.ɪʃ/punish verb [ T ] (CRIME)
B1 to cause someone who has done something wrong or committed a crime to suffer, by hurting them, forcing them to pay money, sending them to prison, etc.:
Those responsible for these crimes must be brought to court and punished.
He punished the class by giving them extra work.
The oil company was found guilty on ten counts of pollution, and was punished with a $250 million fine.
See also
punitive
to punish anyone who commits a particular crime:
Drunken driving can be punished with a prison sentence.
More examples
- Even minor infringements of the law will be severely punished.
- Instead of simply punishing them, the system encourages offenders to modify their behaviour.
- He said that when he was a boy, his father used to take a stick to him to punish him.
- They were punished by being made to stand out in the cold.
- She was punished for smoking on school premises.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Punishing & punishments
- bar
- be brought/called to account idiom
- boot
- bring
- bum rap
- carrot
- chastise
- clobber
- crucify
- heads will roll! idiom
- kick
- kick (some) ass idiom
- non-custodial
- parking ticket
- penal
- string
- strip
- throw
- throw the book at sb idiom
- wheel clamp
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punish verb [ T ] (TREAT BADLY)
to use or treat something badly, violently, or without care:
He really punishes that horse of his.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Using and misusing
- adopt
- adoption
- advantage
- avail
- avail yourself of sth
- be/go heavy on sth idiom
- go into sth
- go through sth
- gobble sth up
- heavy
- make capital out of sth idiom
- max
- mine
- upcycle
- upcycling
- usable
- usage
- use
- use sth up
- wear
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