One entry found for punish.

Main Entry: pun·ish
Pronunciation: pn-ish
Function: verb
1 : to cause to experience pain or suffering for having done wrong <punish criminals with imprisonment>
2 : to inflict punishment for <punish misbehavior>
3 : to deal with or handle severely or roughly <badly punished by an opponent>
- pun·ish·able /--bl/ adjective
- pun·ish·er noun
synonyms PUNISH, DISCIPLINE mean to put a penalty on someone for doing wrong. PUNISH stresses giving some kind of pain or suffering to the wrongdoer rather than trying to reform the person <punished the burglars by sending them to prison>. DISCIPLINE suggests penalizing the wrongdoer but stresses the effort to bring the person under control <parents must discipline their children>.

Pronunciation Symbols