INDEX:
1. to punish someone
2. to punish someone severely
3. to not punish someone
4. a punishment
5. to get a particular punishment
6. to be punished
7. to not be punished
8. to not be punished severely enough
9. when someone is likely to be punished
RELATED WORDS
kill someone as a punishment : ↑ KILL (7)
see also
↑ TELL SB OFF
↑ PRISON
↑ JUDGE
↑ COURT/TRIAL
↑ LAW
↑ CRIME
↑ STRICT/NOT STRICT
↑ REVENGE
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1. to punish someone
▷ punish /ˈpʌnɪʃ/ [transitive verb]
to do something unpleasant to someone because they have done something wrong, for example by putting them in prison, or making them do something that they do not want to do :
▪ She was suspended while the school decided how to punish her.
punish somebody for (doing) something
▪ His parents punished him for disobedience.
▪ The U.S. threatened to take away trading privileges as a way to punish the country for human rights violations.
▪ Two instructors were punished for harassing female students.
▷ fine /faɪn/ [transitive verb]
to make someone pay money as a punishment :
▪ Inspectors have the power to fine any passenger travelling without a ticket.
be fined £10/$100 etc
▪ She was fined $300 for reckless driving.
fine somebody for (doing) something
▪ One player was fined for fighting during the game.
▪ The state fined the company for safety violations.
▷ give somebody 6 years/10 months etc /gɪv somebody ˌsɪks ˈjɪəʳz/ [verb phrase]
to send someone to prison for a particular period of time :
▪ Because of the serious nature of the crime, the judge gave him 20 years.
give sb 6 years/10 months etc for
▪ After a long trial she was given a life sentence for the bombings.
▷ sentence /ˈsentəns/ [transitive verb]
if a judge sentences a criminal, he or she gives them an official punishment, usually sending them to prison for a period of time :
sentence somebody for something
▪ Brown will be sentenced for a series of sexual assaults.
sentence somebody to 20 years/life imprisonment etc
▪ The judge sentenced Margolis to a year in prison.
sentence somebody to 20 years/life imprisonment etc for something
▪ Some countries will sentence you to seven or more years in prison for drug offences.
sentence somebody to death
▪ 60 prisoners have been sentenced to death in political trials.
▷ teach somebody a lesson /ˌtiːtʃ somebody ə ˈles ə n/ [verb phrase]
to punish someone because you want to make sure that they will not behave badly again :
▪ I hope a night in the cells has taught you a lesson.
▪ He was treating me badly, so I left - I just wanted to teach him a lesson.
▷ make somebody pay /ˌmeɪk somebody ˈpeɪ/ [verb phrase] informal
to do something unpleasant to someone as a way of punishing them for something bad they have done to you or someone you know :
▪ If I ever find out who did this, I’ll make them pay!
make sb pay for
▪ I wanted to make my father pay for his betrayal.
▪ The prosecution asked jurors to make Mr. Sanderson pay for what he did.
▷ penalize also penalise British /ˈpiːn ə l-aɪzǁˈpiː-, ˈpe-/ [transitive verb]
to officially punish someone, especially by taking away their right to do something or by limiting their freedom in some way :
▪ New laws will penalize firms that continue to pollute the environment.
▪ It is unfair that the whole class should be penalized because of the bad behaviour of a few students.
penalize somebody for (doing) something
▪ A referee may penalise players for wasting time.
▪ The House of Representatives voted to penalize him for ethics violations.
▷ discipline /ˈdɪsɪplən, ˈdɪsəplən/ [transitive verb usually in passive]
to punish someone who has broken the rules of an organization that they belong to or work for :
▪ Officers are expected to discipline soldiers who do not keep their uniforms in good condition.
be disciplined
▪ Anyone who is regularly late for work is likely to be disciplined or dismissed.
▪ Even when Morton and Collins started fighting on the field, neither player was disciplined.
▷ punitive /ˈpjuːnɪtɪv, ˈpjuːnətɪv/ [adjective usually before noun]
intended as a punishment :
punitive action/measure/sanctions etc
▪ Government forces immediately took punitive action against the rebels.
▪ The sanctions were a punitive measure used to try to force South Africa to reject apartheid.
punitive damages
money that a person or company has to pay to someone they have harmed - used in legal contexts
▪ The company was ordered to pay punitive damages in a sex discrimination case.
▷ disciplinary /ˈdɪsɪplɪnəri, ˈdɪsəplɪnəri, ˌdɪsə̇ˈplɪ-ǁˈdɪsə̇plə̇neri/ [adjective only before noun]
disciplinary action/measures/charges etc
actions etc that are intended to punish someone for breaking a rule or law or to force them to obey rules :
▪ The committee members promised that appropriate disciplinary measures would be taken against the offenders.
▪ So far, not a single person has faced prosecution or disciplinary action over the case.
2. to punish someone severely
▷ come down on /ˌkʌm ˈdaʊn ɒn/ [transitive verb not in passive]
to immediately punish someone for something they have just done, because you want to make it clear that their actions are completely unacceptable :
come down on for
▪ Mrs Green really came down on him for swearing.
come down heavily/hard on somebody
punish someone very severely
▪ In the examinations we shall come down hard on any student who attempts to cheat.
▪ The authorities are threatening to come down more heavily on drink-driving offences.
▷ throw the book at /ˌθrəʊ ðə ˈbʊk æt/ [verb phrase] informal
if someone in authority throws the book at someone, they give them the severest punishment that can be given :
▪ Unless you plead guilty, the prosecutors will throw the book at you.
▪ Superior Court Judge Stephen Rosen threw the book at Davidson, sentencing him to six years in prison and ordering him to pay $1.6 million in restitution.
3. to not punish someone
▷ let somebody off /ˌlet somebody ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to not punish someone, or give them a less severe punishment than they deserve :
▪ I’ll let you off this time, but don’t do it again.
let somebody off with a warning/a fine etc
only give them a warning etc, although they deserve a worse punishment
▪ He was caught shoplifting, but the police let him off with a warning.
▷ reprieve /rɪˈpriːv/ [countable noun]
an official order stopping or delaying someone’s punishment, especially when the punishment is death :
▪ The group protested against a possible reprieve for an inmate on death row in Texas.
grant/give somebody a reprieve
▪ He was granted a reprieve only a few hours before his execution.
▷ amnesty /ˈæmnəsti/ [countable noun]
an official order forgiving people who have done something illegal or freeing prisoners - used especially in political contexts :
issue/declare/proclaim an amnesty
▪ The President issued a general amnesty to all the rebels, including their leader.
▪ The government has been forced to declare an amnesty for anyone who has not paid their taxes, because there are now too many to collect.
4. a punishment
▷ punishment /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/ [countable/uncountable noun]
something that is done to someone in order to punish them :
▪ In cases of sheep-stealing, the usual punishment was hanging.
punishment for
▪ Punishments for bad behavior can range from time-outs to withdrawing privileges, such as television
capital punishment
the system of punishing people by killing them
▪ Some people are demanding the return of capital punishment for murder.
corporal punishment
punishing people, especially children, by hitting them
▪ Corporal punishment was banned in Sweden in 1979.
▷ fine /faɪn/ [countable noun]
an amount of money that you are ordered to pay as a punishment :
get a fine
be told to pay a fine
▪ I got a £100 fine for speeding.
fine for (doing) something
▪ A fine will be imposed for overstaying your visa.
▪ The penalty is a $250 fine for the first offense.
a heavy fine
a large fine
▪ There are heavy fines for drink-driving.
▷ penalty /ˈpenlti/ [countable noun]
an official punishment for someone who breaks a law, a rule, or a legal agreement :
penalty for
▪ The penalty for treason was always death.
the death penalty
a law that says you can be killed as a punishment
▪ Drug smugglers face the death penalty if they are caught.
a heavy/severe/stiff penalty
▪ The contract includes stiff financial penalties for failure to complete the work on time.
▷ sentence /ˈsentəns/ [countable noun]
a punishment given by a judge in a court :
a prison sentence
▪ He got a 10-year prison sentence.
the death sentence
when someone is punished by being killed
▪ The victim’s family are demanding the death sentence for his attacker.
a life sentence
the punishment of spending the rest of your life in prison
▪ Berger is serving a life sentence for the murders.
a heavy/light sentence
a long or short time in prison
▪ Evans was given a light sentence in return for giving information to the police.
▷ retribution /ˌretrɪˈbjuːʃ ə n, ˌretrəˈbjuːʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun] formal
when someone is severely punished for what they have done :
▪ Employees need to be able to express their feelings without fear of retribution.
retribution for
▪ Some officials felt that the bombings were retribution for the killing of the hijackers.
divine retribution
retribution from God
▪ The earthquake was seen by some people as divine retribution.
5. to get a particular punishment
▷ get/be given /get, biː ˈgɪv ə n/ [transitive verb/verb phrase]
to be officially given a punishment :
▪ He deserves to get at least 10 years in prison.
▪ You’ll probably just get a fine.
▪ McLean was given a life sentence for his part in the bombing.
▷ be condemned /biː kənˈdemd/ [verb phrase] formal
to be given a particular punishment by a court, especially a severe punishment :
be condemned to 20 years/life imprisonment etc
▪ Thomas McMahon was condemned to life imprisonment for killing Lord Mountbatten.
be condemned for murder/robbery/theft etc
▪ He was taken away after being condemned for robbery and armed assault.
be condemned to death
▪ Lewis was condemned to death after a trial lasting a year and a half.
condemned man/woman/prisoner
someone who is condemned to death
▪ The prison rules allow no communication with a condemned man.
6. to be punished
▷ be punished /biː ˈpʌnɪʃt/ [verb phrase]
to be punished for something bad that you have done :
▪ If you commit a crime you must expect to be punished.
be punished for
▪ Ellen was punished for being rude to her teacher.
be severely punished
▪ Anyone who disobeyed his orders was severely punished.
▷ pay for /ˈpeɪ fɔːʳ/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to suffer for having done something wrong, especially for breaking the law :
▪ I’ve spent the last three years in jail. I tell you, I’ve paid for what I did.
pay dearly for something
be severely punished for something
▪ People who sell drugs to our children should pay dearly for it.
▷ take the rap /ˌteɪk ðə ˈræp/ [verb phrase] informal
to be punished or held responsible for something bad, especially for something you did not do :
▪ Until the cause of the accident was proven, the company made it clear that it was not willing to take the rap.
take the rap for (doing) something
▪ The defense argued that Green was set up to take the rap for the murder of Roy Robinson.
▪ I prefer driving; I don’t want to take the rap for getting lost.
▷ face the music /ˌfeɪs ðə ˈmjuːzɪk/ [verb phrase] informal
to be ready to accept punishment for something you have done :
▪ Rather than face the music at a trial, Abingdon chose to plea bargain.
7. to not be punished
▷ get off /ˌget ˈɒf/ [intransitive phrasal verb] informal
if a criminal gets off, they get little or no official punishment for their crime :
▪ If he gets off, it’s because he has a smart lawyer.
get off easy
▪ You got off easy; you should have been expelled.
get off scot-free
escape punishment completely
▪ Despite the evidence against him, Heston got off scot-free.
▷ get away with /ˌget əˈweɪ wɪð/ [transitive phrasal verb not in passive]
to do something wrong and not be caught or not be punished for it :
▪ He probably got away with about a dozen crimes before he was finally arrested for one.
get away with it
▪ He was the only child in the class who could be rude to the teacher and get away with it.
get away with murder
informal to be allowed to do anything you want and not be punished for it
▪ Ronnoe lets his kids get away with murder.
▷ beat the rap /ˌbiːt ðə ˈræp/ [verb phrase] American informal
to avoid being punished after breaking the law, especially because you cannot be proved guilty :
▪ Frye was arrested on state and federal charges, but he managed to beat the rap.
▷ with impunity /wɪð ɪmˈpjuːnə̇ti/ [adverb]
if someone is able to do something wrong or illegal with impunity, they can do it without any risk of being punished :
▪ If you see others breaking the law with impunity, you may be tempted to do the same.
▪ The previous regime was corrupt, and government officials were able to flout the law with impunity.
▷ go unpunished /ˌgəʊ ʌnˈpʌnɪʃt/ [verb phrase]
if bad behaviour, crime etc goes unpunished, the person who behaved badly or did something wrong is not punished for it :
▪ Guards involved in drug deals went unpunished.
▪ Hate crimes will not be tolerated and will not go unpunished.
8. to not be punished severely enough
▷ get off with /ˌget ˈɒf wɪð/ [verb phrase]
to only receive a small punishment, especially when you deserve a much more severe one :
▪ If you’re lucky you’ll get off with a warning, if you’re not you’ll have to pay a fine.
▪ It’s appalling that rapists can get off with such short prison sentences.
get off lightly
only receive a small punishment
▪ Phil kept complaining that the $500 fine was unfair, but I think he got off lightly.
▷ a slap on the wrist /ə ˌslæp ɒn ðə ˈrɪst/ [noun phrase] informal
a much smaller punishment that you deserve :
▪ The fine was so low, it was little more than a slap on the wrist.
▪ In the past, officers who mistreated prisoners often received a mere slap on the wrist.
9. when someone is likely to be punished
▷ be in trouble /biː ɪn ˈtrʌb ə l/ [verb phrase] especially spoken
if you are in trouble, you are likely to be punished because you have done something bad :
▪ You’ll be in trouble if they catch you cheating.
be in trouble with
▪ My sister’s in trouble with the police again.
get into trouble
▪ I’ll get into trouble if my parents see me smoking.
▷ have it coming /ˌhæv ɪt ˈkʌmɪŋ/ [verb phrase] informal
use this to say that someone deserves to be punished or deserves something bad that happens to them :
▪ A lot of people think the murdered man had it coming.
have it coming to
▪ He had it coming to him, the jerk.