as in penalty
suffering, loss, or hardship imposed in response to a crime or offense
he is serving five years in prison as punishment for aggravated assault
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Recent Examples of punishment
The punishment range for the offense to which LaGrone pleaded guilty is five to 99 years, or life, in prison.
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Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Jan. 2026
District Attorney Lesli Boese told reporters outside court that her goal was to force Casap to accept responsibility for his parents' deaths and two mandatory life sentences amount to sufficient punishment.
—CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
Michael, a theater and dance professor, was among people who reported facing a conservative backlash and punishment at work for their online posts about Kirk’s fatal shooting in September.
—Jonathan Mattise, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
The perception of fairness and the application of hard evidence to any punishment is a vital part of the compact between the governing and the governed.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for punishment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishment
Noun
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Hendrickson proved to be too much, and Suamataia was benched for Morris after allowing two sacks and taking two holding penalties in the second half.—
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Jimenez’s movement drags Forest centre-back Nikola Milenkovic up the pitch, allowing Smith Rowe to carry the ball forward and progress the attack, which leads to the award of the penalty that proves to be the game’s only goal.—
Noun
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The lingering fear of Jerry's wrath?—
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Voicer Jim Black is off to a good start and halfway there with the earliest biblical account of God’s wrath at humanity culminating with the great flood.—
Cite this Entry
“Punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishment. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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