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 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

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

While Japan's criminal law has a clear penal code for "abduction of a minor" - the interpretation becomes a lot less clear when it comes to a parent taking their own child.

From BBC • May 17, 2024

Soon all penalties in the penal code for spreading non-Catholic doctrines were struck out and non-Catholic soldiers freed from compulsory attendance at mass on Sundays and festivals.

From Church History, Vol. 3 of 3 by Kurtz, J. H.