teach someone a lesson

verb

To punish someone for a serious transgression they have committed so that they do not commit it again.

Similar
have someone's headfix someone's wagonnail someone to the wallamercecastigatechastenchastisecome down on
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Meanings

verbteach someone a lesson (third-person singular simple present teaches someone a lesson, present participle teaching someone a lesson, simple past and past participle taught someone a lesson)

present singular third person teaches someone a lesson · participle present teaching someone a lesson · participle past taught someone a lesson · past taught someone a lesson

  1. idiomaticinformalTo punish someone for a serious transgression they have committed so that they do not commit it again.

    Synonyms: have someone's head, fix someone's wagon, nail someone to the wall, amerce, castigate, chasten, chastise, come down on

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo punish someone for a serious transgression they have committed so that they do not commit it again.

Similar
have someone's headfix someone's wagonnail someone to the wallamercecastigatechastenchastisecome down oncorrectfix someone's wagonhave someone's guts for gartershave someone's headhave someone's hidegive it to someonegive someone what forgive what forgruelmalavoguenail someone to the wallpenalize
Also see
fix someone's wagongive what fornail someone to the wallpunish

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 給...點兒顏色看 /给...点儿颜色看, 教训
  • 給...點兒顏色看 /给...点儿颜色看 (gěi...diǎnr yánsè kàn)punish (informal)
  • 教训 (jiàoxùn)punish (informal)
Dutch mores leren
  • mores lerenpunish (informal)
Finnish antaa jollekin opetus
  • antaa jollekin opetuspunish (informal)
French donner une leçon
  • donner une leçonpunish (informal)
German eine Lektion erteilen
  • eine Lektion erteilenpunish (informal)
Hungarian megleckéztet
  • megleckéztetpunish (informal)
Italian dare una lezione
  • dare una lezionepunish (informal)
Japanese 目に物見せる, 思い知らせる
  • 目に物見せる (me ni monomiseru)punish (informal)
  • 思い知らせる (omoishiraseru)punish (informal)
Korean 혼내다
  • 혼내다 (honnaeda)punish (informal)
Polish dawać nauczkę, dać nauczkę
  • dawać nauczkępunish (informal)
  • dać nauczkępunish (informal)
  • pokazać, gdzie raki zimująpunish (informal)
  • pokazać, gdzie pieprz rośniepunish (informal)
Portuguese mostrar o que é bom pra tosse
  • mostrar o que é bom pra tossepunish (informal)
Romanian învăța minte
  • învăța mintepunish (informal)
Russian проучи́ть, показа́ть, где ра́ки зиму́ют
  • проучи́ть (proučítʹ)punish (informal)
  • показа́ть, где ра́ки зиму́ют (pokazátʹ, gde ráki zimújut)punish (informal)
  • показа́ть ку́зькину мать (pokazátʹ kúzʹkinu matʹ)punish (informal)
Spanish dar una lección
  • dar una lecciónpunish (informal)
Swedish lära en läxa, läxa upp
  • lära en läxapunish (informal)
  • läxa upppunish (informal)
Ukrainian показа́ти де ра́ки зиму́ють
  • показа́ти де ра́ки зиму́ють (pokazáty de ráky zymújutʹ)punish (informal)
Cite this entry
APA

teach someone a lesson. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/teach%20someone%20a%20lesson

MLA

“teach someone a lesson.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/teach%20someone%20a%20lesson. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “teach someone a lesson,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/teach%20someone%20a%20lesson.

Source: teach someone a lesson on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.