- [uncountable, countable]
an act or a way of punishing somebody 惩罚；处罚；刑罚 to inflict/impose/mete out punishment 予以惩罚 to deserve/face/escape punishment 应受/面临/逃脱惩罚 - punishment for something
What is the punishment for murder? 谋杀应处以什么刑罚？ I felt sure that it was a punishment for my sin. 我确信这是对我罪过的惩罚。 - punishment for doing something
Punishments for killing the king's deer were severe. 杀害国王的鹿将受到严厉惩罚。 There is little evidence that harsher punishments deter any better than more lenient ones. 甚少证据显示严惩比宽待更能遏止犯罪。 The punishment should fit the crime. 罚宜当罪。 - as (a) punishment
He was sent to his room as a punishment. 他被罚回到他的房间。 She had to tidy the classroom as punishment for being late. 由于迟到，她被罚整理教室。 - punishment of somebody
new approaches to the punishment of offenders 惩罚罪犯的新方法
Culture punishmentpunishmentPunishment for people who break the law is decided in a court of law. In the US, federal, state and local governments each have their own systems of law and of punishment. The Constitution does not permit ‘cruel and unusual punishment’, but it is the responsibility of the Supreme Court to decide whether a punishment is ‘cruel and unusual’. In Britain, the Scottish legal system is different from that in England and Wales, but methods of punishment are similar throughout Britain.When an accused person is found guilty of a crime, the judge decides what punishment they should suffer. In both Britain and the US the least serious offences are punished by fines (= financial payments) which must be paid to the court. Fines or fixed penalties (= fines at a level decided in advance) are often imposed for minor traffic offences such as parking where it is not permitted and can be paid without the need to go to court.If a fine is not considered enough of a punishment, a person may be sentenced to do community service (= work without pay in hospitals, homes for old people, etc.) or be put on probation (= required to have regular meetings with an official over a set period). When the crime committed is more serious, the convicted person (= person found guilty) is likely to be given a prison sentence. If it is their first offence (= the first time a person has broken the law) the sentence may be suspended (= only carried out if the person is found guilty of another crime) and the person is allowed to remain free on a conditional discharge.If a person is given a prison sentence, its length depends on how serious their crime is and on their past record (= the number of crimes they have committed). If a person thinks the sentence is too severe, they have the right to appeal against it in a higher court, which has the power to reduce the sentence. As a reward for good behaviour prisoners are often given remission (= are released early). Others get parole, which means that they can go free as long as they do not commit any further crimes. In the US the number of people on probation has increased in recent years, as there is not always room in prisons for all those given a prison sentence. A variety of non-custodial punishments (= ones not requiring time in prison) have been tried in both Britain and the US, including electronic tagging. This punishment requires people to wear a device that informs the police where they are.In Britain the maximum sentence that can be handed down (= decided) by a judge is a life sentence, which in fact usually means spending about 20-25 years in prison. The most serious punishment in the US is the death penalty. Not all states allow it, and, in those that do, there may be many years of appeals before it can be carried out.Extra ExamplesTopics Crime and punishmentb1He was compelled on pain of punishment to answer the question. 他被迫回答了问题，否则受到惩罚。 Take your punishment like a man. 像男子汉那样接受对你的惩罚。 They use a system of reward and punishment to discipline their children. 他们用一套奖惩制度来管教孩子。 He believed that certain forms of physical punishment could be effective in some cases. 他认为某些形式的体罚在某些情况下是有效的。 The refugees could not return without fear of punishment. 难民不能不害怕惩罚就返回。
- [uncountable]
rough treatment 粗暴对待；虐待
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French punissement, from the verb punir ‘punish’, from Latin punire, from poena ‘penalty’.
Idioms
cruel and unusual punishment
a category of very severe punishment that is banned under US law 惩罚；处罚；刑罚 This important case confronts the issue of what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. 这一重要案件面临着什么是残忍和不寻常的惩罚的问题。 Detainees are subjected to malnutrition, forced labor, and to other cruel and unusual punishments. 被拘留者遭受营养不良、强迫劳动和其他残忍和不寻常的惩罚。