punish

verb
UK: /ˈpʌn.ɪʃ/
US: /ˈpʌn.ɪʃ/

  1. To cause someone to suffer for doing something bad or illegal.

    1. The court will punish him. [ ] [ ]
    2. They will punish dishonest behavior severely in the workplace. [ ] [ ]

  2. To treat someone very badly or unfairly.

    1. The team was punished by the referee's unfair decision. [ ] [ ]
    2. The constant rain really punished our hopes for a pleasant camping trip. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

sentence discipline chastise correct penalize
punish noun

  1. A negative consequence or penalty inflicted for wrongdoing.

    1. What's the punish for that? [ ] [ ]
    2. The punish for stealing was much more severe in the past. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "punish" in English means: To cause someone to suffer for doing something bad or illegal., To treat someone very badly or unfairly..

The phonetic transcription of "punish" is /ˈpʌn.ɪʃ/ in British English and /ˈpʌn.ɪʃ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "punish": sentence, discipline, chastise, correct, penalize.

Example usage of "punish": "The court will punish him.". More examples on the page.