to make someone suffer because they have done something against the law or against the rules 惩罚；惩处；惩治；惩办 | Anyone caught smoking on school premises will be punished. 如果发现任何人在校内场所吸烟都将进行处罚。 |
| punish sb for (doing) sth He was punished for stealing. 他因盗窃而受到惩罚。 |
| punish sb by sth People operating illegal businesses can be punished by imprisonment or a fine. 进行非法交易的人可以被判处监禁或处以罚金。 |
| | a | to make someone suffer as a result of something they have done 使某人遭罪；使某人吃苦头 | | We approached this task in the wrong way, and we were punished for it. 我们以错误的方式来处理这项任务，因此吃了苦头。 | |
| | b | to give a punishment to anyone who has committed a particular action 惩罚，惩办（看某种行为的人） | | The government is determined to punish drug trafficking. 政府决心严惩毒品买卖。 | |