punish

verb

(transitive) To cause (a child, student, or someone else being looked after, or a suspect or criminal) to suffer for crime or misconduct, to administer disciplinary action, typically by an authority or a person in authority (for example: a parent, teacher, or police officer).

(transitive, figuratively) To treat harshly and unfairly.

(transitive, colloquial) To handle or beat severely; to maul.

(transitive, colloquial) To consume a large quantity of.

Roots

poenapun- · Latin · penalty, punishment

Synonyms for punish

penalizev chastisev castigatev scoldv reprovev spankn imprisonv rebukev admonishv avengev

Synonyms & related words for punish

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of punish — including penalize, chastise, castigate, scold, reprove, spank. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to punish

Explore words related to punish — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include amercing, castigatory, penalization, punishment, chastiser, castigator, chastener, objurgates. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for punish

Common synonyms for punish include penalize, chastise, castigate, scold, reprove, spank, imprison, rebuke — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does punish come from?

The word punish breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root pun-, from Latin poena (“penalty, punishment”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.