hard labor

American  

noun

1. compulsory labor imposed upon criminals in addition to imprisonment, generally not exceeding ordinary labor in severity or amount.

---

Etymology

Origin of hard labor

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

It’s hard labor, but nothing in her life has been easy.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026

After the war, Faÿ was sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor, but he escaped from prison in 1951 dressed in ecclesiastical costume, with the help of—here one reaches for the phrase “incredible but true”—Toklas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

As a result, the trial judge denied Griner’s request for bail or house arrest, instead sentencing her to nine years of hard labor.

From Slate • May 4, 2024

Planting seedlings is hard labor, and recruiting people to do it, especially on remote, rugged mountains, is harder than it was during the Great Depression.

From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2024

It took me four miserable hours of hard labor, but I got it done.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir