Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

punishment

American  
[puhn-ish-muhnt] / ˈpʌn ɪʃ mənt /

noun

  1. the act of punishing. punishing.

  2. the fact of being punished, as for an offense or fault.

  3. a penalty inflicted for an offense, fault, etc.

  4. severe handling or treatment.

punishment British  
/ ˈpʌnɪʃmənt /

noun

  1. a penalty or sanction given for any crime or offence

  2. the act of punishing or state of being punished

  3. informal rough treatment

  4. psychol any aversive stimulus administered to an organism as part of training

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
punishment Idioms  

  1. see glutton for punishment.

Other Word Forms

  • nonpunishment noun
  • overpunishment noun
  • prepunishment noun
  • propunishment adjective
  • repunishment noun
  • self-punishment noun

Etymology

Origin of punishment

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English punysshement, from Anglo-French punisement, Old French punissement; equivalent to punish + -ment

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The notorious firm has earned its legal punishment.

From The Wall Street Journal

With his older brother John, he ran a school, having left a previous teaching post from a disinclination to administer corporal punishment.

From Los Angeles Times

It is understood the offence was initially seen by the TV umpire before the on-field umpires gave the punishment.

From BBC

But the punishment struck many people as excessive.

From Salon

"It has to be this way: in addition to the formal punishment in the judicial system, we're saying, 'You have no place here'," she said.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.