corporal punishment

noun

: punishment that involves hitting someone : physical punishment

The school banned corporal punishment many years ago.

Examples of corporal punishment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Vancouver had been a forceful captain at sea, maligning much of his crew through his ill temper and liberal use of corporal punishment. —Corbin Reiff, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Oct. 2024

When Trump was 13, his father found his collection of switchblades (bought after seeing West Side Story) and shipped him off to a military academy known for corporal punishment. —EW.com, 3 Oct. 2024

Both children were subjected to strict corporal punishment, prosecutors said. —Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 4 Apr. 2024

West’s mother was a demanding perfectionist, and his father, although a gregarious, outgoing man, had a short fuse and was a firm believer in corporal punishment. —Mike Kupper, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2024

Legal Definition

corporal punishment

noun

cor·​po·​ral punishment

ˈkȯr-pə-rəl-

: punishment inflicted on a person's body see also cruel and unusual punishment

Note: The prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment in the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution imposes limits on the use of corporal punishment on convicted offenders and prisoners. The U.S. Supreme Court has found the Eighth Amendment to be inapplicable to the use of corporal punishment on schoolchildren.