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Definition of "punish" []

  • To subject to a penalty for an offense, sin, or fault. (verb-transitive)
  • To inflict a penalty for (an offense). (verb-transitive)
  • To handle roughly; hurt: My boots were punished by our long trek through the desert. (verb-transitive)
  • To exact or mete out punishment. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "punish" in a sentence
  • "_punish_ sin while at the same time He _pardons_ it, -- can punish it in the Substitute while He pardons it in the sinner, -- it is not until he is enabled to apprehend the doctrine of _vicarious_ atonement, that his doubts and fears respecting the possibility and reality of the Divine mercy are removed."
  • "You will not punish -- I say _punish_ -- a gentle girl like her for loving her father too well. ""
  • "The idea of using public shame to punish is still with us, by the way."