as in penalizes
to inflict a penalty on for a fault or crime
the child was punished for breaking dishes on purpose if caught, the thief will be severely punished
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Recent Examples of punishes
Men’s football continues to be dominated by a hegemonic masculinity that punishes any deviation from the norm.
—
Colin Millar, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Then punishes him by icing him for weeks by not responding to his contacting her.
—R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2026
The puzzle of why Washington punishes allies, or even potentially friendly states such as India or Brazil, is thus easily explained.
—Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
Fret about finding ways to score and the offense punishes you.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
The scene came in a fictional segment parodying Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead in which Maggie defends her architectural talents after her daycare teacher punishes her for making beautiful structures from building blocks.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
Moscow rarely punishes its soldiers in Ukraine for committing crimes, portraying them as national heroes at home.
—CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
Krampus is a fabled goat-like figure that punishes naughty children with lashings, sometimes kidnapping them from their homes, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
—Angelika Ytuarte, jsonline.com, 5 Dec. 2025
One spectacular sequence, a descent into caves, punishes you for using your stronger but louder armaments, like missiles, by summoning more enemies.
—PC Magazine, 2 Dec. 2025
Colin Millar, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Then punishes him by icing him for weeks by not responding to his contacting her.
—R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2026
The puzzle of why Washington punishes allies, or even potentially friendly states such as India or Brazil, is thus easily explained.
—Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Time, 15 Jan. 2026
Fret about finding ways to score and the offense punishes you.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
The scene came in a fictional segment parodying Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead in which Maggie defends her architectural talents after her daycare teacher punishes her for making beautiful structures from building blocks.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
Moscow rarely punishes its soldiers in Ukraine for committing crimes, portraying them as national heroes at home.
—CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025
Krampus is a fabled goat-like figure that punishes naughty children with lashings, sometimes kidnapping them from their homes, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
—Angelika Ytuarte, jsonline.com, 5 Dec. 2025
One spectacular sequence, a descent into caves, punishes you for using your stronger but louder armaments, like missiles, by summoning more enemies.
—PC Magazine, 2 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for punishes
Verb
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But because the ban penalizes corporations, not consumers who break the rules, ban-repeal advocates may have a harder time drawing a coalition of cross-partisan support.—
Keith Humphreys,
The Atlantic,
2 Feb. 2026
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The picture shows a workforce under strain, marked by anxiety taking earned time off, cultural pressure that penalizes caregiving responsibilities and workplace norms that quietly discourage flexibility rather than protect it.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Watchdog Fintrac fines crypto exchange Cryptomus some $126 million for failing to flag potentially criminal transactions.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The report criticizes the county bringing electrical infrastructure to PortMiami that allows cruise ships to shut down their smog-producing generators while docked, a $125 million project that received $20 million from the state’s Department of Transportation.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
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Continue reading … NEWSROOM REVOLT – Tensions rise at '60 Minutes' as Scott Pelley reportedly criticizes Bari Weiss.—
,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When a stranger chastises them for not wearing hijabs in public, Pari and Hanna can barely manage to stifle a laugh.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
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As Dexter questions why Batista’s death hurts so much, Brian chastises his brother for listening to Harry too much.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Given that, Ake sentences her to a rehabilitation camp and separates her from her young son, Caleb.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
16 Jan. 2026
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Williams was able to petition for resentencing due to a law enacted in 2011 that allowed judges to give juvenile offenders with life without parole sentences a chance to be resentenced.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If your return has a simple math error or a mismatch with income the IRS already has on file (like a missing 1099), the IRS often corrects it automatically and sends you a notice explaining the change.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
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The fourth-wall-breaking commercial starts with Osbourne filming a Super Bowl commercial about a 4G phone when the director corrects him and tells him that the new version is a 5G.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Punishes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/punishes. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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