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punish

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verb [transitive] [often passive] American English pronunciation: punish /ˈpʌnɪʃ/ 
Word Forms
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present tense
I/you/we/theypunish
he/she/itpunishes
present participlepunishing
past tensepunished
past participlepunished
  1. to make someone suffer because they have done something against the law or against the rules

    Anyone caught smoking on school premises will be punished.

    punish someone for (doing) something:

    He was punished for stealing.

    punish someone by something:

    People operating illegal businesses can be punished by imprisonment or a fine.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  punishThesaurus entry for this meaning of punish
    1. a.
      to make someone suffer as a result of something they have done

      We approached this task in the wrong way, and we were punished for it.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  punishThesaurus entry for this meaning of punish
    2. b.
      to give a punishment to anyone who has committed a particular action

      The government is determined to punish drug trafficking.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  punishThesaurus entry for this meaning of punish

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This is the American English definition of punish. View British English definition of punish.

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