noun
Used when someone is punished or treated harshly to serve as a warning to others. Often appears in phrases like 見せしめにする or 見せしめのため.
彼は見せしめのためにクビにされた。
He was fired as an example to others.
先生は遅刻した生徒を見せしめに廊下に立たせ
The teacher made the late student stand in the hallway as a warning to the rest.
警告 is a general warning or caution, while 見せしめ specifically implies making an example of someone to deter others.
戒め is a lesson or admonition, often moral or personal, whereas 見せしめ is a public display intended to warn a group.
Compound of 見せ (mise, the continuative form of 見せる 'to show') and しめ (shime, the continuative form of しめる 'to make known, to teach a lesson'). Literally 'showing a lesson'.