corporal punishment
Americannoun
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Law. physical punishment, as flogging, inflicted on the body of one convicted of a crime: formerly included the death penalty, sentencing to a term of years, etc.
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physical punishment, as spanking, inflicted on a child by an adult in authority.
noun
Etymology
Origin of corporal punishment
First recorded in 1575–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At the time, an estimated 7% of California districts had banned corporal punishment, although Gov. Jerry Brown had just signed a law requiring parental permission.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025
That includes by rehiring all women teachers, reforming the curriculum in line with international human rights standards and ending corporal punishment.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 5, 2023
As Human Rights Watch explained in a recent report, "US states overwhelmingly fail to live up to key standards" on "the issues of child marriage, corporal punishment, child labor, and juvenile justice."
From Salon • Sep. 8, 2023
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the African American community has a complicated relationship with corporal punishment of kids.
From Slate • Apr. 21, 2023
Mother disapproved of all forms of corporal punishment.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
