punishment
noun
pun·ish·ment
ˈpə-nish-mənt 
1
: the act of punishing
2
a
: suffering, pain, or loss that serves as retribution
b
: a penalty inflicted on an offender through judicial procedure
3
: severe, rough, or disastrous treatment
Synonyms
Examples of punishment in a Sentence
I took away my daughter's car keys as a punishment for her bad behavior.
The punishments that the government has inflicted on the protesters are severe and unjust.
The punishment for murder is life imprisonment.
Some religions teach that wicked people will suffer eternal punishment in hell after they die.
Recent Examples on the Web
The discoveries shed light on draconian punishments doled out thousands of years ago, according to a study published on March 16 in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.
—
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 21 May 2024
After the story was published, Mayor Karen Bass called for reforms, and the LAFD subsequently hired more investigators for its enforcement functions and cleared an enormous backlog of disciplinary inquiries that had allowed firefighters to run out the clock on punishment, according to Pringle.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for punishment 
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 21 May 2024
After the story was published, Mayor Karen Bass called for reforms, and the LAFD subsequently hired more investigators for its enforcement functions and cleared an enormous backlog of disciplinary inquiries that had allowed firefighters to run out the clock on punishment, according to Pringle.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for punishment
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'punishment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near punishment
Cite this Entry
“Punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punishment. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
punishment
noun
pun·ish·ment
ˈpən-ish-mənt
1
a
: the act of punishing
b
: the state or fact of being punished
persons undergoing punishment
2
: the penalty for a fault or crime
the punishment for robbery
3
: severe, rough, or disastrous treatment
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share