Talking about Punishment: English Vocabulary List

a sealed room or chamber where poisonous gas is introduced to execute condemned individuals, typically used as a method of capital punishment

"The gas chamber was an execution method."

"The gas chamber was used as a method of execution in some states before it was replaced by lethal injection as a more humane alternative."

to cause severe damage or harm

"The attacker mutilated the victim's face."

"The vandals used a knife to mutilate the valuable painting hanging in the museum gallery."

to confine someone in prison or a similar facility due to legal reasons or as a form of punishment

"The judge will incarcerate the dangerous criminal."

"The judge decided to incarcerate the repeat offender for ten years without the possibility of parole."

to no longer be able to access a right, property, privilege, etc. as a result of violating a law or a punishment for doing something wrong

"He forfeited his right to appeal."

"If you do not pay your taxes you may forfeit your right to own property in this country."

to make a counterattack or respond in a similar manner

"The army retaliated against the attack."

"The small country threatened to retaliate if the neighboring nation continued its military aggression."

to beat someone harshly using a rod or whip

"The punishment was to flog the prisoner."

"In some historical periods teachers were allowed to flog students for minor misbehavior in class."

the physical punishment of people, especially of children or convicts

"Corporal punishment in schools is now banned in many countries."

"Corporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of physical pain as a penalty for an offense"

the practice of isolating a prisoner in a small, often windowless cell, with minimal human contact or environmental stimulation, as a form of punishment or for security reasons

"He spent weeks in solitary confinement in a tiny dark cell."

"The prisoner was placed in solitary confinement for thirty days as punishment for attacking a guard and fighting with other inmates."

a device for beheading, featuring a tall frame with a suspended blade released to swiftly sever the condemned person's head

"The guillotine was used during the French Revolution for executions."

"The French revolutionaries used the guillotine to execute the king and thousands of other people during the Reign of Terror in the 1790s."

a sum of money paid to compensate for loss, damage, or injury

"The thief made restitution for the stolen goods."

"The court ordered the thief to make full restitution by paying back every dollar he had stolen from his employer over the past five years."

the official in charge of a prison or correctional facility, responsible for overseeing the administration, security, and well-being of inmates

"The warden managed the prison with a very strict set of rules."

"The warden announced new rehabilitation programs designed to help inmates prepare for life after release."

the formal act of sending a person to a mental health facility, prison, or similar institution, often following legal proceedings

"The committal was swift."

"Following the psychiatric evaluation, the judge ordered the committal of the defendant to a secure treatment facility."

a group of individuals, typically soldiers or law enforcement officers, designated to carry out a military or legal execution by firing bullets at a condemned person simultaneously

"The spy was sentenced to death by a firing squad at dawn."

"A firing squad is a group of soldiers or law officers ordered to simultaneously shoot a condemned person"

to release a prisoner before the completion of their sentence, subject to certain conditions and under the supervision of a parole officer

"The board decided to parole the prisoner."

"The board decided to parole the prisoner after he served fifteen years of his sentence."

to kill someone without legal approval

"The mob tried to lynch the accused."

"The angry mob tried to lynch the accused man before the police could arrive to protect him."

to officially take away something from someone, usually as punishment

"The state confiscated the assets."

"The teacher decided to confiscate the student's phone until the end of the school day."

a temporary postponement or cancellation of a punishment

"The prisoner received a last-minute reprieve from the governor."

"A reprieve is a temporary postponement or cancellation of a punishment"

‌a person, especially an official, whose role or job is to kill convicted people as a means of punishment

"The executioner carried out the sentence ordered by the court."

"An executioner is the official who inflicts capital punishment on a condemned person"