- to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault: The goal of the court is to punish the criminal for the crime he has committed.
- to inflict a penalty for (an offense, fault, etc.): Unconditional imprisonment is imposed to punish past transgressions.
- to mistreat, abuse, or hurt:Additional tariffs will punish working families with higher prices on household basics.
- to handle severely or roughly, as in a fight.
- to put to painful exertion, as a horse in racing.
- to make a heavy inroad on; deplete: to punish a quart of whiskey.
- to inflict punishment.
- to force (someone) to undergo a penalty or sanction, such as imprisonment, fines, death, etc, for some crime or misdemeanour
- to inflict punishment for (some crime, etc)
- to use or treat harshly or roughly, esp as by overexertion
- to consume (some commodity) in large quantities
