punished; punishing; punishes
1
a
: to impose a penalty on for a fault, offense, or violation
b
: to inflict a penalty for the commission of (an offense) in retribution or retaliation
2
a
: to deal with roughly or harshly
b
: to inflict injury on : hurt
: to inflict punishment
Examples of punish in a Sentence
I think that murderers should be punished by life imprisonment.
She was punished for lying.
His parents punished him by taking away his allowance.
How should I punish my child's misbehavior?
State law punishes fraud with fines.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Boston Federal Reserve is already testing CBDC programs, and the examples of abuse are everywhere: China's social credit system, which punishes citizens for political dissent, and Canada freezing of truckers' bank accounts in 2022 for protesting vaccine mandates.
—
Kevin Sabet, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 July 2025
The 22-year-old Shelton was utterly dominant in his first two matches of the tournament, punishing opponents with blistering serves and thunderous ground strokes.
—Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 26 July 2025
Prosecutors face punishing deadlines and disclosure burdens.
—Marc Molinaro, New York Daily News, 25 July 2025
New Tax Brackets Most NBA teams are cowering in fear of the league's new second apron, as teams that cross said line face punishing team-building restrictions.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for punish
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Kevin Sabet, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 July 2025
The 22-year-old Shelton was utterly dominant in his first two matches of the tournament, punishing opponents with blistering serves and thunderous ground strokes.
—Jacob Steinberg, Baltimore Sun, 26 July 2025
Prosecutors face punishing deadlines and disclosure burdens.
—Marc Molinaro, New York Daily News, 25 July 2025
New Tax Brackets Most NBA teams are cowering in fear of the league's new second apron, as teams that cross said line face punishing team-building restrictions.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for punish
Cite this Entry
“Punish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punish. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
punish
transitive verb
pun·ish
ˈpə-nish 
1
: to impose a penalty on for a fault, offense, or violation
2
: to inflict a penalty for the commission of (an offense) in retribution or retaliation or as a deterrent
: to inflict punishment
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