punished
v.v. to make someone suffer or pay a price because they did something wrong. You do this to teach a lesson or follow a law.
v. to inflict a penalty or sanction on someone for a transgression or crime. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the person or entity receiving the penalty.
The teacher punished the student for talking during the test.
The judge punished the company with a heavy fine for breaking environmental safety laws.
Historians argue that the treaty was designed to ensure the defeated nation was punished so severely that it could never pose a military threat again.
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. Often used in the passive voice ('was punished') when the focus is on the person receiving the penalty.
He was punished for his crimes by the prison.He was punished for his crimes with a prison sentence.Learners often confuse the penalty (the sentence) with the agent (the judge or state); you are punished 'with' a penalty or 'by' a person.