hard labor
nounDefinition of hard labor
: compulsory labor of imprisoned criminals as a part of the prison discipline
Examples of hard labor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Warmbier, an Ohio native, was sentenced in March 2016 to 15 years of hard labor in prison. — Marisa Iati, Washington Post, "Otto Warmbier’s family is suing for a North Korean coal ship seized by U.S. officials," 7 July 2019 Warmbier was an American student on tour who was detained by the North Korean government and later sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor in March 2016 for allegedly stealing a propaganda poster from a hotel. — Fox News, "Otto Warmbier’s parents file claim for seized North Korean cargo ship as part of $500M judgment against regime," 7 July 2019 He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor, though he was released after a year and a half, returning to the United States in June 2017 in a coma with extensive brain damage. — Nicholas Wu, USA TODAY, "Otto Warmbier's family make claim for North Korean ship 'Wise Honest' seized by US," 6 July 2019 In March 2016, Warmbier was convicted in a show trial of crimes against the state and sentenced to 15 years at hard labor. — Sarah Brookbank, Cincinnati.com, "Otto Warmbier trends on Twitter as users aghast at Trump photo-op in North Korea," 30 June 2019 Her bones indicated that this woman of perpetual pain had engaged in a lifetime of hard labor. — Russell Shorto, New York Times, "In the Hudson Valley, a Drive Back in Time," 17 June 2019 At least six South Koreans who have been detained in the North in recent years remain there, including three missionaries who were sentenced to hard labor for life on spying and other charges. — Choe Sang-hun, New York Times, "South Korean Defects to the North, Following in His Parents’ Footsteps," 8 July 2019 Citizens of all ranks were encouraged to inform on one another; those convicted of crimes were executed, mutilated, or put to hard labor. — Kristin Baird Rattini, National Geographic, "Who was the Chinese emperor behind the terra-cotta warriors?," 3 June 2019 South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported Friday that he had been sentenced to hard labor and ideological reeducation as punishment for the failure of the summit with Trump in Hanoi in late February. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "Leading North Korean official not purged after all, apparently," 3 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hard labor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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