corporal punishment
Americannoun
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Law. physical punishment, as flogging, inflicted on the body of one convicted of a crime: formerly included the death penalty, sentencing to a term of years, etc.
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physical punishment, as spanking, inflicted on a child by an adult in authority.
noun
Etymology
Origin of corporal punishment
First recorded in 1575–85
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.
Several private schools in Ohio and Virginia permit paddling as discipline even though those states outlaw corporal punishment in public schools.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
With his older brother John, he ran a school, having left a previous teaching post from a disinclination to administer corporal punishment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026
Scotland was the first UK country to ban corporal punishment in November 2020, followed by Wales in March 2022.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2025
That includes by rehiring all women teachers, reforming the curriculum in line with international human rights standards and ending corporal punishment.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
Regardless, it fell out that Katherine and I were saved the corporal punishment and instead assigned house duty for two weeks.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
