From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgo unpunishedgo unpunishedif someone or something bad they have done goes unpunished, they are not punished An attack like that cannot go unpunished. → unpunished
Examples from the Corpus
go unpunished• Of course, when it comes to oligarchies and bureaucracies, no good deed goes unpunished.• Your pride won't go unpunished.• Guards involved in drug deals went unpunished.• Hate crimes will not be tolerated and will not go unpunished.• At this point in development, children typically believe that a lie is wrong even if it goes unpunished.• In Port-au-Prince there are fears that Dominique's murder, like the deaths of so many others, will go unpunished.• It looked a harsh decision, especially when the referee allowed late tackles to go unpunished.• Middlesex have twice had to carpet Ramprakash this season after astonishing flare-ups and another incident went unpunished.• Numerous violations of constitutional rights went unpunished during the thirties.• Before 1870, a husband could legally go unpunished for beating his wife.• But no good deed goes unpunished in noire crime stories. 