punishment

CEFRB1

/ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    Something done to make someone suffer for wrongdoing.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.

Examples

  • An overwhelming majority voted to abolish the brutal punishment.

  • The child who was caught stealing apples bravely faced the music in accepting his punishment.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [ˈpʰʌnɪʃmənt] ~ [ˈpʰʌnɪʃmn̩t]

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A suffering by pain or loss imposed as retribution.

  2. The act (action) or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction, typically by an authority or a person in authority (for example: a parent or teacher), especially when disappointed or dissatisfied with the behavior or actions of a child, student, or someone else being looked after.

  3. Any harsh treatment or experience; rough handling.

More examples

In context

  • The punishment was harsh and unfair.

  • The naughty children were given a punishment by their teachers.

  • a harsh punishment

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The judge decided that the appropriate blank for the robbery was ten years.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English punishement, from Old French punissement, from punir (“to punish”). Equivalent to punish + -ment. Displaced native Old English wīte.