Synonyms

penal code

American

noun

Law.

the aggregate of statutory enactments dealing with crimes and their punishment.

penal code British

noun

the codified body of the laws in any legal system that relate to crime and its punishment

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of penal code

First recorded in 1880–85

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.

See Examples For:

penal code

The penal code criminalises certain forms of offence or insult against the king, the royal family and the monarchy.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

In fall 2025, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 847, which amended the penal code to allow oversight commissions to receive confidential sheriff’s department documents and review them in closed session.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

The interim government is prosecuting Atef Najib under the 1949 penal code, a statute written for ordinary murder, not for crimes against humanity.

From Slate ● May 27, 2026

The punishment for which in Colombia is a prison sentence of between 26 to 45 years, according to the country's penal code.

From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026

But under a crude sort of customary law and this penal code, the courts enforce rights of foreigners as well as of natives by the protection of their works for an indefinite term.

From Copyright: Its History and Its Law by Richard Rogers Bowker

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023