Idiom
teach someone a lesson
Meaning
To punish someone for a serious transgression they have committed so that they do not commit it again.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The judge wanted to teach the thief a lesson.”
“After the teenager stole from the store, his father decided to teach him a lesson by making him work for free.”
“The harsh penalty was intended to teach the corrupt official a lesson, ensuring he would never again abuse his position of power.”
Examples
simple
“The judge wanted to teach the thief a lesson.”
contextual
“After the teenager stole from the store, his father decided to teach him a lesson by making him work for free.”
complex
“The harsh penalty was intended to teach the corrupt official a lesson, ensuring he would never again abuse his position of power.”
Key words
Related idioms
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