Meaning & use
corporal
Last updated
A noncommissioned military officer ranking above a private and below a sergeant; also, relating to the human body.
See it in a sentence
The corporal led the squad on its early morning patrol.
The old law permitted corporal punishment in schools.
A note on using this word
As a rank, corporal is a junior enlisted position; as an adjective ('corporal punishment'), the word instead means relating to the physical body -- a completely different sense.
Another way to use it
2. adjective
Relating to or affecting the human body, especially physical punishment.
Corporal punishment has been banned in schools in many countries.
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