What does "punish" mean?

1. (to penalise for a crime) to make someone suffer or pay a fine because they broke a rule or a law. 2. (to treat harshly) to use something so roughly that you damage it. 3. (to consume a lot) to eat or drink a very large amount of something quickly.

punish — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "The teacher punished to the student for talking."?

No — say "The teacher punished the student for talking.". The verb 'punish' is transitive and takes a direct object without the preposition 'to'.

Word

01to penalise for a crime

B1 · Intermediate Law

v. to make someone suffer or pay a fine because they broke a rule or a law.

v. to impose a penalty on someone as retribution for an offence, crime, or violation of rules.

“The judge decided to punish the thief with a heavy fine and community service.”

“The legal system is designed to punish offenders in a way that reflects the severity of their crimes while discouraging future misconduct.”

Usage

Often used with the preposition 'for' to indicate the reason for the penalty.

Pitfall

The teacher punished to the student for talking.

The teacher punished the student for talking.

The verb 'punish' is transitive and takes a direct object without the preposition 'to'.

Synonyms

penalise disciplinechastise

Antonyms

reward pardon excuse

02to treat harshly

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to use something so roughly that you damage it.

v. to subject an object or one's own body to severe or taxing treatment.

“Running on concrete every day can really punish your knees.”

“The rough mountain terrain will punish the car's suspension if you drive too quickly over the rocks.”

Synonyms

abuse damage strain

Antonyms

protect preserve

03to consume a lot

C2 · Proficiency Informal · British English

v. to eat or drink a very large amount of something quickly.

v. to consume a significant quantity of food or drink, often with speed or enthusiasm.

“The teenagers really punished the pizza, leaving only a few crumbs behind.”

“After the long hike, the group sat down and proceeded to punish a large tray of sandwiches and several jugs of water.”

Teaching tip

This sense is highly informal and mostly found in British or Australian English; it implies a humorous exaggeration of how much was eaten.

Synonyms

devour finish off

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “punish” in context.

Verb

01. punish by

“The crime is usually punished by a heavy fine.”

verb + prep

02. punish for

“He was punished for breaking the school rules.”

verb + prep

03. punish with

“In some countries, serious crimes are punished with life imprisonment.”

verb + prep

Noun

04. fairly punish

“It is important that the legal system punishes criminals fairly.”

adv + verb

05. harshly punish

“Critics argue that the law harshly punishes the poor.”

adv + verb

06. severely punish

“The judge decided to severely punish the repeat offender.”

adv + verb

07. punish by death

“Treason was once a crime punished by death in many nations.”

08. punish for a crime

“You cannot be punished for a crime you did not commit.”

09. punish to the full extent

“The prosecutor vowed to punish the company to the full extent of the law.”

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

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

punish(B1)

NOUN

ADJECTIVE