: compulsory labor of imprisoned criminals as a part of the prison discipline
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebBowman's sentencing comes the same day as Myanmar's deposed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi was found guilty of electoral fraud and sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor. Heather Chen And Hannah Ritchie, CNN, 2 Sep. 2022 Ko Jimmy was arrested and sentenced in 1989 and sentenced to hard labor. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 26 July 2022 Whelan is serving a 16-year sentence of hard labor after being convicted of spying in 2020. Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2022 Ko Jimmy was arrested and sentenced in 1989 to hard labor. Brian Murphy, BostonGlobe.com, 26 July 2022 Men of fighting age have been rounded up and detained in filtration camps where officials believe they will then be conscripted into the Russian military or used for hard labor. Caitlin Mcfall, Fox News, 7 May 2022 Mitchell had served 55 years of hard labor at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola when Williams filed a joint motion last October for Mitchell to plead to time served, paving the way for his release. Jamiles Lartey, NBC News, 6 July 2022 Death brought on by disease, overwork, and hard labor was common. Jeff Gammage, Anchorage Daily News, 13 May 2022 The strain from the cold and the hard labor may cause a heart attack. Forrest Brown, CNN, 30 Oct. 2021 See More
Word History
First Known Use
1651, in the meaning defined above
Legal Definition
hard labor
noun
: compulsory labor imposed upon prisoners as part of a sentence or as prison discipline