Punish Punished ˈpʌnɪʃ Crime Verb Responsible Severely Parents

• those responsible for this crime will be severely punished.
• my parents used to punish me by not letting me watch tv.
• to punish a criminal/an offender/a perpetrator
• she will be punished for her crimes.

punish

Verb Forms

1. to make somebody suffer because they have broken the law or done something wrong
• Those responsible for this crime will be severely punished.
• My parents used to punish me by not letting me watch TV.
• to punish a criminal/an offender/a perpetrator
• She will be punished for her crimes.
• He was punished for refusing to answer their questions.
• Damages are not designed to punish, but to compensate for the loss sustained.

Extra Examples

• Those found guilty will be punished accordingly.
• He was trying to punish her for deserting him all those years ago.
• Never punish children by making them go hungry.
• Offenders will be punished with a £1 000 fine.
• Those who had opposed the court were duly punished.
2. to set the punishment for a particular crime
• In those days murder was always punished with the death penalty.

Extra Examples

• I would not hesitate to condemn and punish unacceptable behaviour.
• The state is no longer effective in punishing crime.
3. to blame yourself for something that has happened

Word Origin

• Middle English: from Old French puniss-, lengthened stem of punir ‘punish’, from Latin punire, from poena ‘penalty’.