Pun·ish v. t. [imp. & p. p. Punished p. pr. & vb. n. Punishing.]
1. To impose a penalty upon; to afflict with pain, loss, or suffering for a crime or fault, either with or without a view to the offender's amendment; to cause to suffer in retribution; to chasten; as, to punish traitors with death; a father punishes his child for willful disobedience.
A greater power
Now ruled him, punished in the shape he sinned. --Milton.
2. To inflict a penalty for (an offense) upon the offender; to repay, as a fault, crime, etc., with pain or loss; as, to punish murder or treason with death.
3. To injure, as by beating; to pommel. [Low]
4. To deal with roughly or harshly; -- chiefly used with regard to a contest; as, our troops punished the enemy. [Colloq. or Slang]
Syn: -- To chastise; castigate; scourge; whip; lash; correct; discipline. See Chasten.
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punishing
adj 1: resulting in punishment; "the king imposed a punishing tax"
2: characterized by toilsome effort to the point of exhaustion;
especially physical effort; "worked their arduous way up
the mining valley"; "a grueling campaign"; "hard labor";
"heavy work"; "heavy going"; "spent many laborious hours
on the project"; "set a punishing pace" [syn: arduous, backbreaking,
grueling, gruelling, hard, heavy, laborious, toilsome]