penalize somebody for (doing) something• The state government was willing to bend the rules where necessary to stop penalizing employers forcreating jobs.• It would penalize foreign companies for energy investments in those two nations -- even if legal under their own laws.• They will not penalize their employees for leaving to take a child to the doctor.• The Government will decide over the next few weeks whether to penalize Gloucestershire for overspending.• I thought you could be penalized only for the actual time you were late.