habeas corpus
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What is habeas corpus? The writ of habeas corpus, often shortened to habeas corpus, is the requirement that an arrested person be brought before a judge or court before being detained or imprisoned.
Etymology
Origin of habeas corpus
< Latin: literally, have the body (first words of writ), equivalent to habeās 2nd-person singular present subjunctive (with imperative force) of habēre to have + corpus body
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.
“The ruling demonstrates a profound misunderstanding and misapplication of the law applied to habeas corpus petitions,” said Hannah Brown, deputy director of the Los Angeles Innocence Project.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026
After their arrests, their wives filed habeas corpus petitions at the Supreme Court, challenging the legality of their detentions.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
As president, he didn’t when he suspended the writ of habeas corpus early in the Civil War.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
There was a period of time. before what’s called the administrative period, where the writ of habeas corpus was the only way to challenge an order of deportation.
From Slate • Feb. 17, 2026
Shultz filed his habeas corpus petition, and the Kansas Supreme Court commissioned one of its own retired justices, the Honorable Walter G. Thiele, to conduct a full-scale hearing.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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.
