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.
No governor in the state has ever reduced a death sentence to life in prison without parole in the modern era of the death penalty. Landon Mion, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2025 Diarrhea was prevalent, and pneumonia and serious infections were often a death sentence. Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025 But in other cells, especially some neurons in the brain, a misfolded prion is a death sentence. Sophie Hartley, Scientific American, 10 Jan. 2025 The second attempt to execute him planned for Nov. 13 was delayed when a federal judge issued a stay in one of his appeals to prevent the state from fulfilling his death sentence. Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 13 Jan. 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

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 9 Feb. 2025.

Legal Definition

death sentence

see sentence

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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