teaching someone a lesson

A form of teach someone a lesson — To punish someone for a serious transgression they have committed so that they do not commit it again.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of teach someone a lesson
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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