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.
The governor has commuted just one death sentence since taking office more than nine years ago, and in that time authorized 73 executions, more than any state in the country. Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 17 Oct. 2024 An Alabama jury found Dearman guilty and unanimously recommended a death sentence in 2018 for the murder of all five family members. Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024 Earlier Wednesday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to recommend clemency after his attorneys requested his death sentence be commuted to a lesser penalty – or that the inmate be granted a 180-day reprieve to allow time for his appeals to be argued in court. Dakin Andone, CNN, 17 Oct. 2024 Retired Circuit Court Judge Gary Clary, who imposed the death sentence, also asked McMaster to grant clemency. Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near death sentence

Cite this Entry

“Death sentence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20sentence. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Legal Definition

death sentence

see sentence

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!