community service

American  

noun

Law.

1. a punitive sentence that requires a convicted person to perform unpaid work for the community in lieu of imprisonment.

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community service British  

noun

1. voluntary work, intended to be for the common good, usually done as part of an organized scheme

2. See community-service order

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Example Sentences

For Katya, a professional events organiser, the parties have stopped - and her world and life have been disrupted following the raid, trial and community service spent mopping hospital floors.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

She was sentenced to 200 hours of community service.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

Lawyers for the defendants declined to comment but in court referenced the men’s community service, according to local reports.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Another doctor, Mark Chavez, was ordered to be confined at home and told to do hundreds of hours of community service.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

When Naomi sits down next to you, you feel like her personal community service project, like the ones she’s always announcing in assembly.

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon