— punisher , n.
/pun"ish/ , v.t.
1. to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault: to punish a criminal.
2. to inflict a penalty for (an offense, fault, etc.): to punish theft.
3. to handle severely or roughly, as in a fight.
4. to put to painful exertion, as a horse in racing.
5. Informal. to make a heavy inroad on; deplete: to punish a quart of whiskey.
v.i.
6. to inflict punishment.
[ 1300-50; ME punischen puniss-, long s. of punir punire; akin to poena PENALTY, PAIN ]
Syn. 1. chastise, castigate. PUNISH, CORRECT, DISCIPLINE refer to making evident public or private disapproval of violations of law, wrongdoing, or refusal to obey rules or regulations by imposing penalties. To PUNISH is chiefly to inflict penalty or pain as a retribution for misdeeds, with little or no expectation of correction or improvement: to punish a thief. To CORRECT is to reprove or inflict punishment for faults, specifically with the idea of bringing about improvement: to correct a rebellious child. TO DISCIPLINE is to give a kind of punishment that will educate or will establish useful habits: to discipline a careless driver. 1, 2 . penalize.
Ant. 1, 2. reward.