English Explanatory Dictionary

punish

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb

To cause (a child, student, or someone else being looked after, or a suspect or criminal) to suffer for crime or misconduct, to administer disciplinary action, typically by an authority or a person in authority (for example: a parent, teacher, or police officer).
To treat harshly and unfairly.
To handle or beat severely; to maul.
To consume a large quantity of.

Pronunciation

/ˈpʌnɪʃ/ en-us-punish.ogg

Word forms

punish punishes punishing punished punishe

Etymology

From Middle English punischen, from Anglo-Norman, Old French puniss-, stem of some of the conjugated forms of punir, from Latin puniō (“to inflict punishment upon”), from poena (“punishment, penalty”); see pain. Displaced Old English wītnian and (mostly, in this sense) wrecan.

Synonyms

amerce castigate chasten chastise come down on correct fix someone's wagon have someone's guts for garters have someone's head have someone's hide give it to someone give someone what for give what for gruel malavogue nail someone to the wall penalize penance punish tan someone's hide tar out teach someone a lesson pillory mistreat

Antonyms

forgive let off reward

Related words

pain take the law into one's own hands

Derived words

corporally punish mispunish outpunish overpunish prepunish punishability punishable punishee punisher punishing punishment repunish telish telishment

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