habeas corpus
Americannoun
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habeas corpuses,
plural
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habeas corpora
plural
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
California’s district judges were overrun with emergency petitions for writs of habeas corpus, a legal maneuver rarely used outside death row appeals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Everyone on the streets of Minneapolis was talking about habeas corpus, and that was not true a year ago.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Put simply, a habeas corpus petition is a written request from an inmate to a court challenging the lawfulness of their government detention.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
Even in the authors’ account, aides sometimes seem to let an idea be floated and then disappear or, as in the case of Mr. Miller’s alleged contempt for habeas corpus, push back strongly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Without jail, there could be no writ of habeas corpus.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
