hard labour

British

noun

criminal law (formerly) the penalty of compulsory physical labour imposed in addition to a sentence of imprisonment: abolished in England in 1948

"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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He was later sentenced to hard labour, but kept his job at the newspaper, according to a family statement.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2024

Now fit and injury-free, he is enjoying the fruits of hard labour building up his body.

From BBC • Sep. 2, 2024

The new sentence included hard labour, her lawyers said.

From BBC • Sep. 2, 2022

Handal's lawyers had said he should not be extradited because he would be subject to hard labour in Haiti.

From Reuters • Aug. 6, 2022

They were content to eat the results of all this hard labour, but they were unwilling to do their full share of the work.

From "The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa" by Alexander Mccall Smith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023