Synonyms and antonyms of To punish someone in British Thesaurus

punish (verb)

to make someone suffer because they have done something against the law or against the rules

discipline (verb)

to punish someone for something they have done wrong

penalize (verb)

to punish someone for breaking a rule or law

mete out ()

to give a punishment to someone

hand down ()

to say officially that someone should receive a particular punishment

make an example of someone ()

to punish someone severely as a way of warning other people not to do the same thing

teach someone a lesson ()

to punish someone for doing something bad so that they do not do it again

deal out (informal)

informal to give a punishment to someone

administer (verb)

to give someone a punishment

take the law into your own hands ()

to punish someone in your own way without involving the police or the courts, often by doing something illegal yourself

bring someone to book ()

to punish someone, or to make them explain their behaviour publicly when they have done something wrong

call someone to account (for something) ()

to say that someone is responsible for something that has gone wrong and expect them to explain it, deal with it, or be punished for it

commute (verb)

legal to change a punishment to one that is less severe

dock (verb)

to take money out of someone’s salary, especially as a punishment

get (verb)

to catch or punish someone

give someone what for ()

to punish someone or speak to them severely because they have done something wrong

hand out ()

to say officially that someone should receive a particular punishment

have someone’s guts for garters (informal)

informal used for saying that you will punish someone severely for something they have done

I’ll teach you to do something ()

used for saying that you will punish someone for doing something

penalize (verb)

to punish a sports team or player by giving an advantage to the other team or player

punish (verb)

to make someone suffer as a result of something they have done

punish (verb)

to give a punishment to anyone who has committed a particular action

sentence (verb)

when a judge sentences someone, they officially state what someone’s punishment will be

skin someone alive ()

to be very angry with someone, or to punish them very severely

slap on ()

to order that something should be done immediately, especially as a punishment

someone can dish it out but they can’t take it (informal)

informal if someone dishes out something such as criticism or punishment, they criticize or punish someone severely

sort out (British)

Britishinformal to make someone stop causing problems for you, for example by talking to them or punishing them

throw the book at someone ()

to punish someone very severely

what for (informal old-fashioned)

informal old-fashioned if you give someone what for, you punish them