capital punishment
noun
: punishment by death : the practice of killing people as punishment for serious crimes
an opponent of capital punishment
Examples of capital punishment in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Per Texas Politics Project polls, nearly 70% of state voters supported capital punishment in October 2023, as compared to 78% in February 2010.
—
Bayliss Wagner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
The parents and siblings of Kaylee Goncalves, who were vocal about their hopes for capital punishment, have voiced ongoing frustrations that their wishes were not followed by prosecutors.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 24 July 2025
Prosecutors had signaled their intent to seek capital punishment early on, and Kohberger’s defense tried to argue that a recent autism diagnosis would make the death penalty constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
—Rolling Stone, 23 July 2025
In recent decades, capital punishment has been abandoned or outlawed in most modern nations, the exceptions being countries like Cuba, China, North Korean, Iran — and the United States of America.
—Thomas Wenski, Sun Sentinel, 13 July 2025
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Bayliss Wagner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
The parents and siblings of Kaylee Goncalves, who were vocal about their hopes for capital punishment, have voiced ongoing frustrations that their wishes were not followed by prosecutors.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 24 July 2025
Prosecutors had signaled their intent to seek capital punishment early on, and Kohberger’s defense tried to argue that a recent autism diagnosis would make the death penalty constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
—Rolling Stone, 23 July 2025
In recent decades, capital punishment has been abandoned or outlawed in most modern nations, the exceptions being countries like Cuba, China, North Korean, Iran — and the United States of America.
—Thomas Wenski, Sun Sentinel, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for capital punishment
Cite this Entry
“Capital punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capital%20punishment. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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