A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.
Used in a Sentence
punishment
Definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for punishment.
Editorial note
Snowden is not demanding a pardon - he is facing punishment (albeit not the ridiculously overwrought punishment you had in mind).
Examples15
Definitions4
Parts of speech1
Quick take
A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of punishment gathered in one view.
A suffering by pain or loss imposed as retribution.
(figuratively) Any harsh treatment or experience; rough handling.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for punishment.
noun
A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.
See also: penalty, penalization
noun
A suffering by pain or loss imposed as retribution.
See also: penalty, penalization
noun
(figuratively) Any harsh treatment or experience; rough handling.
See also: penalty, penalization
noun
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.
See also: penalty, penalization
Example sentences
Snowden is not demanding a pardon - he is facing punishment (albeit not the ridiculously overwrought punishment you had in mind).
And not just an unjust punishment but an unjust punishment in the hands of the very institution whose corruption you exposed.
The outrageous thing is the 20:1 ratio of punishment risked at trial to plea punishment.
In this case, it isn't a question of how harsh the punishment is, but whether the people will be punished at all.
That prosecutors would stack the jury is almost immaterial - life changing punishment would be inflicted before even getting to that point.
For instance, the punishment for receiving stolen goods will depend on the value of the goods in question.
Even though the punishment was providing other possible defaults, the initial problem wasn't really about the system default.
What are the odds that Snowden is facing the same order of magnitude in terms of explicit punishment?
Why should somebody get a lighter punishment for receiving, say, an iPod compared to a car?
My favourite explanation is one predicted by various game theoretic models about punishment in human groups.
If Obama issued a pardon, Snowden will have received all of the punishment the law requires.
Anyways fuck this place, people use their votes as a way to not encourage conversation but as a punishment tool.
Quote examples
Might doctors not try as hard to save them as "punishment" for being "anti-social" or something?
Douglas wrote for the 5-4 majority, is "protected against censorship or punishment, unless shown likely to produce a clear and present danger of a serious substantive evil that rises far above public inconvenience, annoyance, or unrest...
The problem is that embassies usually are protected spaces where the host country police cannot intervene, the embassy personnel is under diplomatic immunity and the "worst" punishment the host country can deliver is declaring the offender a "persona non grata", but this is a diplomatic affront of the highest severity itself.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use punishment in a sentence?
Snowden is not demanding a pardon - he is facing punishment (albeit not the ridiculously overwrought punishment you had in mind).
What does punishment mean?
A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.
What part of speech is punishment?
punishment is commonly used as noun.