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Synonyms

corporal punishment

American  

noun

  1. 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.

  2. physical punishment, as spanking, inflicted on a child by an adult in authority.

corporal punishment British  

noun

  1. punishment of a physical nature, such as caning, flogging, or beating

"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 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.

Corporal punishment of children in Scotland was made illegal in 2020 and in Wales in 2022.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2024

Corporal punishment was eventually banned in state schools in 1986.

From BBC • Oct. 10, 2021

Corporal punishment was banned in Irish schools in 1982 and, by 1996, it was a criminal offence to hit schoolchildren.

From BBC • May 27, 2015

Corporal punishment has long since been abolished by the Governor of the island.

From Time Magazine Archive

Corporal punishment is not allowed; both public opinion and the law of the land are against it.

From Dutch Life in Town and Country by Hough, P. M.

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.