punishment
noun
pun·ish·ment
ˈpə-nish-mənt 
1
: the act of punishing
2
a
: suffering, pain, or loss that serves as retribution
b
: a penalty inflicted on an offender through judicial procedure
3
: severe, rough, or disastrous treatment
Examples of punishment in a Sentence
I took away my daughter's car keys as a punishment for her bad behavior.
The punishments that the government has inflicted on the protesters are severe and unjust.
The punishment for murder is life imprisonment.
Some religions teach that wicked people will suffer eternal punishment in hell after they die.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mackenzie sued, arguing that under the Constitution, her American birth gave her citizenship as a right, not a privilege, to be removed only as punishment for a crime or through voluntary expatriation.
—
Marcia Biederman, Hartford Courant, 13 July 2025
For years, state and local authorities have struggled to police these operations, hampered by limited resources and weak criminal punishments that allow arcade owners to brush off law-enforcement interference, the news organizations found.
—Josh Salman, Miami Herald, 11 July 2025
Washington said the piece seemed to be urging the Trump administration to take the investigation to the next level, the Department of Justice, which could levy punishments against the university.
—Katherine Mangan, ProPublica, 11 July 2025
In April, the U.S. government revoked all South Sudanese visas as punishment for the country after its government refused to accept a deportee who was in fact from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for punishment
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Marcia Biederman, Hartford Courant, 13 July 2025
For years, state and local authorities have struggled to police these operations, hampered by limited resources and weak criminal punishments that allow arcade owners to brush off law-enforcement interference, the news organizations found.
—Josh Salman, Miami Herald, 11 July 2025
Washington said the piece seemed to be urging the Trump administration to take the investigation to the next level, the Department of Justice, which could levy punishments against the university.
—Katherine Mangan, ProPublica, 11 July 2025
In April, the U.S. government revoked all South Sudanese visas as punishment for the country after its government refused to accept a deportee who was in fact from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for punishment
Cite this Entry
“Punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punishment. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
punishment
noun
pun·ish·ment
ˈpən-ish-mənt
1
a
: the act of punishing
b
: the state or fact of being punished
persons undergoing punishment
2
: the penalty for a fault or crime
the punishment for robbery
3
: severe, rough, or disastrous treatment
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