1
general::
Phrase(s): make an example of someone
to do something to someone that shows the bad results of bad behavior; to point to someone as a bad example. • The judge said that he would make an example of Sally and would fine her the maximum amount. • The teacher made an example of me to the class, with a detention on the first day of school.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Punish someone so as to be a warning to others, as in The teacher made an example of the boy she caught cheating, or The judge imposed a tough sentence to make an example of the car thieves. This usage is first recorded in John Wycliffe's followers' translation of the Bible (c. 1382).
American Heritage Idioms