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Synonyms

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.


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

"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

Example Sentences

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Participants, known as corps members, are posted to different parts of the country to work and take part in community service, as well as to foster a sense of national unity.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

That means that these adults must work or participate in community service for at least 80 hours a month or be enrolled in an educational program at least half of the time.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

In 1998, Max was sentenced to community service teaching art in Harlem and a $30,000 fine after prosecutors charged him with concealing $714,000 in income from art sales between 1988 and 1991.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

A day before his sentencing, the Aleph Institute, a Jewish criminal justice reform group, filed a letter to the federal court in New York laying out a proposed community service plan for Shvartsman to follow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Like, it’d be one thing to do the community service for me and another to give me a ride to the job site, but still.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

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