punish: Meaning and Definition of

pun•ish

Pronunciation: (pun'ish), [key]
— v.t.
  1. to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault: to punish a criminal.
  2. to inflict a penalty for (an offense, fault, etc.): to punish theft.
  3. to handle severely or roughly, as in a fight.
  4. to put to painful exertion, as a horse in racing.
  5. to make a heavy inroad on; deplete: to punish a quart of whiskey.
—v.i.
  1. to inflict punishment.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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