A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish  a state or any group of persons. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavior, but may be also be a covered revenge.

Stowell (1921) provides the following definition:

"When the territorial sovereign is too weak or is unwilling to enforce respect for international law, a state which is wronged may find it necessary to invade the territory and to chastise the individuals who violate its rights and threaten its security".