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 interim government is prosecuting Atef Najib under the 1949 penal code, a statute written for ordinary murder, not for crimes against humanity.

From Slate • May 27, 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

The National Security Committee approved the amendment to the penal code, which will now be passed onto the parliament for its first reading.

From Barron's • Nov. 3, 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