penal code

American  

noun

Law.

1. the aggregate of statutory enactments dealing with crimes and their punishment.

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penal code British  

noun

1. the codified body of the laws in any legal system that relate to crime and its punishment

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Etymology

Origin of penal code

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The punishment for which in Colombia is a prison sentence of between 26 to 45 years, according to the country's penal code.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

The government says it will focus on tax, labor and penal code reforms in the coming extraordinary session of Congress.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

Vietnam was the first to legally state in its penal code that “Ecocide, destroying the natural environment, whether committed in time of peace or war, constitutes a crime against humanity.”

From Salon • Apr. 30, 2025

They were sentenced to five years for contravening the penal code and outraging public decency.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2025

Here his clear perception of the moral principles upon which rests the penal code, and his fondness for recurring to general principles, stood him in great stead.

From Memoir of John Howe Peyton in sketches by his contemporaries, together with some of his public and private letters, etc., also a sketch of Ann M. Peyton by Various