as in penalties
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 punishments
The investigation led to punishments for Mass State Police detectives, and the feds opened a probe into the county’s murder investigation.
—
Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
Zanelli has the right to respond to the charges and could have a public trial before the Court of Judicial Discipline, which could determine if the charges were proven and what punishments to levy.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
The change allows punishments to be tailored more closely to the role a defendant played in an offense.
—Kevin Krause, Dallas Morning News, 6 Jan. 2026
While raising the kids together, Ruby and Hildebrandt abused the two youngest children with harsh punishments and torture, according to Ruby's journal that was later confiscated.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 4 Jan. 2026
Some countries have laws administer what critics believe are cruel punishments or place undue restrictions on women and minorities.
—Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Jan. 2026
Oliver Rackham, the great historian of the British countryside, devoted a not insubstantial portion of his career to rebutting this claim, noting that there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest that these punishments were ever carried out.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
The passage of Proposition 36, a tougher-on-crime law that placed stricter punishments on repeat drug and theft offenders, has given both agencies more opportunities to try to help those in custody suffering from drug addiction.
—Nathaniel Percy, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
The league has noticeably grown more strict regarding punishments for hip-drop tackles.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishments
penalties
Noun
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The game was especially chippy, as the teams combined for 21 penalties, totaling 78 minutes.—
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If force is used, resisting arrest can be charged as a Class A misdemeanor, which carries penalties of up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine.—
Cite this Entry
“Punishments.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishments. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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