life sentence

noun

: the punishment of being sent to prison for the rest of one's life
He received a life sentence for his crimes.

Examples of life sentence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction and life sentence of a woman in the 2017 death and dismemberment of a Nebraska hardware store clerk. CBS News, 10 May 2024 In addition to the 45 years to life sentence for second-degree murder, Montgomery was also sentenced to 4 to 8 years for assault, 3.5 to 7 years for witness tampering and 3.5 to 7 years for falsifying evidence. Stepheny Price, Fox News, 9 May 2024 Brady was also one of several speakers who made jokes at the expense of Aaron Hernandez, the former Patriots tight end who hanged himself in a prison cell in 2017 while serving a life sentence for first-degree murder. Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024 The guilty verdict — which carries a life sentence — came almost exactly three months after Asberry was acquitted of murder in the shooting death of Randhir Kaur, a 37-year-old UCSF dental student who was killed inside her Albany home. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2024 The former Cheers star was the second son born to Diane Harrelson (née Oswald), a devoutly religious legal secretary, and Charles Harrelson, a professional hitman who died while serving a life sentence for killing a federal judge. Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024 Though he was acquitted in July 2019 and avoided a life sentence, the Los Angeles district attorney refiled charges one month later for criminal gang conspiracy and the shooting of a motor vehicle, arguing that his crew, known as the Stinc Team, was a gang, according to reports. Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024 Early last year, state lawmakers, livid that convicted Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooter Nikolas Cruz only received a life sentence, altered the law to only require the jury to vote 8-4 for death. Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024 James Crumbley purchased handgun for Ethan Crumbley Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to all his crimes and is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Tresa Baldas, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'life sentence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Life sentence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/life%20sentence. Accessed 17 May. 2024.

Legal Definition

life sentence

see sentence

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