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punishment

noun

  1. imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome as a response and deterrent to an action or behaviour that is deemed undesirable or unacceptable
  2. facet of operant conditioning; change in a human or animal's surroundings that occurs after a given behavior or response which reduces the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future
L4462 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/ / [ˈpʰʌnɪʃmənt] ~ [ˈpʰʌnɪʃmn̩t]

noun

Etymology: From Middle English punishement, from Old French punissement, from punir (“to punish”). Equivalent to punish + -ment. Displaced native Old English wīte.

  1. 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.

    The naughty children were given a punishment by their teachers.

  2. A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.

    a light punishment

    a harsh punishment

  3. A suffering by pain or loss imposed as retribution.
  4. Any harsh treatment or experience; rough handling.

    a vehicle that can take a lot of punishment