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
There is also concern about disabled children and children of color being the most targeted by corporal punishment.
—
Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
He was deported in 2015, after serving a six-year state prison term for convictions of inflicting corporal punishment, child cruelty, willful discharge of a firearm in a negligent manner and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
The center would train professionals how to properly investigate child abuse and teach parents ways to parent that don’t involve corporal punishment.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2025
The regulations’ unanimous passage in 2022 followed a New York Times investigation detailing widespread educational failures — including young boys who graduated unable to speak English fluently or do basic arithmetic — and allegations of corporal punishment in some of the schools.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for corporal punishment
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
He was deported in 2015, after serving a six-year state prison term for convictions of inflicting corporal punishment, child cruelty, willful discharge of a firearm in a negligent manner and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2025
The center would train professionals how to properly investigate child abuse and teach parents ways to parent that don’t involve corporal punishment.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2025
The regulations’ unanimous passage in 2022 followed a New York Times investigation detailing widespread educational failures — including young boys who graduated unable to speak English fluently or do basic arithmetic — and allegations of corporal punishment in some of the schools.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for corporal punishment
Cite this Entry
“Corporal punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corporal%20punishment. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share