punishes

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 & related words for punishes

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Words related to punishes

Explore words related to punishes — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include penalize, amercing, punishing, punished, chastise, castigate, penalization, punishment. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does punishes come from?

The word punishes 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.