English Meaning & Definitions
To inflict a penalty or sanction on someone for an offense, crime, or wrongdoing.
- “The judge threatened to punish the defendant for contempt of court.”
- “Parents often punish misbehaving children by taking away screen time.”
To treat severely or cause great damage to someone or something.
- “The heavy storm severely punished the coastal town.”
- “The grueling marathon really punished his legs.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “punish”.
Late Middle English: from Old French puniss-, stem of punir, from Latin punire, variant of poenire, from poena 'pain, penalty, punishment'.
Think of a 'pun' that is so bad you deserve to be punished for it.
Frequently Asked Questions About “punish”
1. What is the meaning of “punish” in English?
In English, punish (verb) is defined as: “To inflict a penalty or sanction on someone for an offense, crime, or wrongdoing.”.
2. How do you use “punish” in a sentence?
“The judge threatened to punish the defendant for contempt of court.”
3. What are English synonyms of “punish”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “punish”?
Late Middle English: from Old French puniss-, stem of punir, from Latin punire, variant of poenire, from poena 'pain, penalty, punishment'.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.