death row

noun

: a prison area housing inmates sentenced to death
usually used with on
prisoners waiting on death row

Examples of death row in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Attorneys for Idaho’s death row inmates raised similar concerns in 2024, when the state planned to take a second try at executing Thomas Creech after the first attempt was botched. ABC News, 20 May 2026 Arizona has executed a death row inmate for setting two people on fire more than 20 years ago, killing one of them and changing the other's life forever. Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 20 May 2026 Condemned inmates in Texas spend an average of 11 years on death row, according to the Department of Criminal Justice. Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 20 May 2026 California’s oldest prison once housed the largest death row in the nation. Alexiah Syrai Olsen, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for death row

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of death row was in 1894

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Cite this Entry

“Death row.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20row. Accessed 22 May. 2026.

Legal Definition

death row

noun
: a prison area housing inmates sentenced to death
death row adjective
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