pun ‧ ish /ˈpʌnɪʃ/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ punishable , ↑ punishing , ↑ unpunished , ↑ punitive ; verb : ↑ punish ; noun : ↑ punishment ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: punir , from Latin punire , from poena ; ⇨ ↑ pain 1 ]
1 . to make someone suffer because they have done something wrong or broken the law ⇨ punishment , punitive :
Smacking is not an acceptable way of punishing a child.
He promised to punish severely any officials found guilty of electoral fraud.
punish somebody for (doing) something
It’s unfair to punish a whole class for the actions of one or two students.
They deserve to be punished for putting passengers at risk.
I felt I was being punished for what my mother had done.
punish somebody by doing something
My parents decided to punish me by withdrawing financial support.
punish somebody with something
The House voted to punish the senator with a formal reprimand.
2 . [usually passive] if a crime is punished in a particular way, anyone who is guilty of it is made to suffer in that way ⇨ punishment , punitive
punish by/with
In some societies, theft is punished by death.
3 . punish yourself to make yourself feel guilty or bad for something you have done:
If you fail, don’t punish yourself.
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THESAURUS
▪ punish to do something unpleasant to someone because they have done something wrong or broken the law:
Drug smugglers are severely punished.
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She wanted to punish him for deceiving her.
▪ fine to make someone pay money as a punishment:
The company was fined for safety violations.
▪ sentence if a judge sentences a criminal, he or she gives them an official punishment, usually sending them to prison for a period of time:
The judge sentenced Margolis to a year in prison.
▪ penalize ( also penalise British English ) 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.
▪ discipline 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.
▪ come down hard on somebody informal to punish someone or criticize them severely:
The judge came down hard on Harris, saying that his crime was ‘inexcusable’.
▪ make an example of somebody to punish someone so that other people are afraid to do the same thing:
Athletics officials felt they had to make an example of him for using banned drugs.
▪ teach somebody a lesson informal to do something in order to show someone that they must not do something again, when they have behaved very badly:
I didn't want to hurt him - I just wanted teach him a lesson.
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Maybe a night in jail will teach him a lesson.
▪ make somebody pay (for something) informal to make someone wish they had never done something, by making them suffer:
We should make him pay for all the mischief he's caused!