/ ˈpʌnɪʃ; NAmE / verb [ vn ]
1.
punish sb (for sth / for doing sth) to make sb suffer because they have broken the law or done sth wrong :
Those responsible for this crime will be severely punished.
He was punished for refusing to answer their questions.
My parents used to punish me by not letting me watch TV.
2.
punish sth (by / with sth) to set the punishment for a particular crime :
In those days murder was always punished with the death penalty.
3.
punish yourself (for sth) to blame yourself for sth that has happened
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French puniss- , lengthened stem of punir punish, from Latin punire , from poena penalty.