Synonyms for punish
ˈpʌn ɪʃpun·ish

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:4.0 / 2 votes

1. punishverb

   Synonyms:
   castigate

2. punishverb

   To cause to suffer for crime or misconduct, to administer disciplinary action.

   Synonyms:
   castigate

3. punishverb

   To cause great harm to. (a punishing blow)

   Synonyms:
   castigate

4. punishverb

   To dumb down severely or to the point of uselessness or near-uselessness.

   Synonyms:
   castigate

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 2 votes

1. punish

   Avenge and revenge, once close synonyms, are now far apart in meaning. To avenge is to visit some offense with punishment, in order to vindicate the righteous, or to uphold and illustrate the right by the suffering or destruction of the wicked. "And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian," Acts vii, 24. To revenge is to inflict harm or suffering upon another through personal anger and resentment at something done to ourselves. Avenge is unselfish; revenge is selfish. Revenge, according to present usage, could not be said of God. To retaliate may be necessary for self-defense, without the idea of revenge. Compare REVENGE.

   Synonyms:
   avenge, retaliate, revenge, vindicate, visit

   Preposition:
   Avenge on or upon (rarely, avenge oneself of) a wrong-doer.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. punish

   Synonyms:
   chastise, castigate, chasten, correct, whip, scourge

   Antonyms:
   reward, recompense, remunerate, indemnify

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:3.2 / 5 votes

1. punish, penalize, penaliseverb

   impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on

   "The students were penalized for showing up late for class"; "we had to punish the dog for soiling the floor again"

   Synonyms:
   penalize, penalise

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. punishverb

   Synonyms:
   chastise, castigate, lash, chasten, discipline, correct, scourge, whip

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. punishverb

   Synonyms:
   chastise, castigate, chasten, discipline

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "punish":

   punishing, penalise, penalize, sanction, punishment, suppress, chastise, flog, smite, criminalize, suppression, repress, penalties

Suggested Resources

1. punish

   Song lyrics by punish -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by punish on the Lyrics.com website.

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How to use punish in a sentence?

1. Matthew Segal:

   This isn't a case about being compensated for serving time which Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey shouldn't have served. This is about returning people their own money that was wrongfully taken from them in connection with their convictions, so every penny that is part of this settlement is a reminder of all the ways that we punish people as part of the war on drugs.

2. Michael Tan:

   This ruling means the Trump administration cannot use indefinite detention as a weapon to punish and deter asylum seekers.

3. Anderson Cooper:

   White House just messaged the entire American intelligence community : If you stand up and say things that upset The President or with which The President disagrees, The President will punish you.

4. Elie Honig:

   Whether it's Alex Jones or Rudy Giuliani or a 2020 election denier, it's one thing to spout conspiracy theories on a podcast or social media, but courts demand actual facts and evidence. And, importantly, courts can and will impose accountability and punish people who spread lies for illegal purposes.

5. Shujaa Mohammed:

   The commanders said you're from Tikrit, you're all Islamic State. I told them: 'Check our records and punish us if we are'. They just stopped paying our salaries.