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punish: Meaning and Definition of
pun•ish
Pronunciation: (pun'ish), [key] ? v.t.
- to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault: to punish a criminal.
- to inflict a penalty for (an offense, fault, etc.): to punish theft.
- 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.
?v.i. - to inflict punishment.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.