death sentence

noun

1
: a sentence condemning a convicted defendant to death
2
: an affliction or a situation that is considered to be fatal
also : a prognosis of death

Examples of death sentence in a Sentence

She received a death sentence for the murders.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Tie any relief to verifiable human-rights milestones—each prisoner released, each death sentence commuted, each protester freed. Kazem Kazerounian, Hartford Courant, 29 May 2025 Ronald Mikos President Biden commuted the federal death sentence for the former Chicago podiatrist to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Dec. 23, 2024. Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025 Thorny issues have included the Chinese military's increasingly assertive behavior and the suspended death sentence handed out to Australian writer Yang Hengjun for alleged espionage. Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025 All are felonies, and the murder charges carry up to life in prison or the death sentence, if he is convicted. Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for death sentence

Word History

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of death sentence was in 1655

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Cite this Entry

“Death sentence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20sentence. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

Legal Definition

death sentence

see sentence

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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