corporal punishment

noun

1. Law.,  physical punishment, as flogging, inflicted on the body of one convicted of a crime: formerly included the death penalty, sentencing to a term of years, etc.

2. physical punishment, as spanking, inflicted on a child by an adult in authority.

corporal punishment

noun

1. punishment of a physical nature, such as caning, flogging, or beating

Word History and Origins

Origin of corporal punishment¹

First recorded in 1575–85

Example Sentences

In later years, Buhari attributed his disciplinarian bent to spending his formative years at boarding school, where corporal punishment was the norm, and in the military.

From BBC

Some call for a return to the days of corporal punishment in schools, when unruly children were disciplined by "the tawse".

From BBC

Things took a dark turn next, however, with Hawk getting arrested in Southern California in late summer 2020 on domestic violence allegations of inflicting corporal punishment on a spouse or cohabitant in Santa Ana.

From Los Angeles Times

In her first stint on the school board, from 1983 to 1991, she worked to end corporal punishment and spearheaded the first campus health clinics, which included contraceptive services.

From Los Angeles Times

This is not uncommon in fundamentalist Christian households, where the biblical proverb about "sparing the rod" is regularly wielded to justify corporal punishment.

From Salon

Related Words

• spanking 
• whipping