From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishretributionret‧ri‧bu‧tion /ˌretrəˈbjuːʃən/ noun [singular, uncountable] PUNISHsevere punishment for something very seriousretribution for Victims are demanding retribution for the terrorist attacks. divine retribution (=punishment by God)
Examples from the Corpus
retribution• An outraged public demanded swift justice and retribution.• The child who has been bumped typically views the act as intentional and worthy of appropriate retribution.• The earthquake was seen by some people as divine retribution.• If California fell into the ocean, would it be divine retribution for making movies like this?• It carried with it, implicitly, the threat of extreme retribution.• Employees need to be able to express their feelings without fear of retribution.• The Justice Model's philosophy consequently relied heavily on retribution as at least a partial justification for punishment.• For Mankins, seeing Harris die was simple retribution for a heinous crime.• There were few things more calculated to endear a prince to his subjects than a display of stern retribution on unjust officials.• Some officials felt that the bombings were retribution for the killing of the hijackers.divine retribution• If California fell into the ocean, would it be divine retribution for making movies like this?• The boy's parents believe his illness is divine retribution for their sins.• The Four Horse Men of the Apocalypse apparently felt it inappropriate to arrive as a messenger of divine retribution.• Another piece of divine retribution for all those hours spent ticking others off came relatively recently.• It is, I suppose, divine retribution for the treatment your whiteness receives in certain doctors' surgeries.Origin retribution (1300-1400) Late Latin retributio, from Latin retribuere “to pay back” 