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wrongful death
noun
: a death caused by the negligent, willful, or wrongful act, neglect, omission, or default of another
Examples of wrongful death in a Sentence
She filed a wrongful death suit against the hospital, alleging that its negligence led to her daughter's death.
Recent Examples on the Web
The wrongful death lawsuits come just two days after the same group of 19 families reached a $2 million settlement with the city of Uvalde over the May 24, 2022, Robb Elementary School massacre, which killed 19 students and two teachers.
—Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 24 May 2024
Families of five Marines killed in a June 2022 Osprey crash in southern California have filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit, blaming companies that make the aircraft for the tragedy.
—Matt Seyler, ABC News, 24 May 2024
The new date comes about a week after it had been revealed in court that nine of the 10 wrongful death cases tied to the crowd rush had been settled out of court, including one that had been set to go to trial this month.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2024
Perez's mother filed in January a wrongful death lawsuit against Mar-Jac and two of its employees, along with the agency that hired Perez.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 21 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for wrongful death
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wrongful death.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1952, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near wrongful death
Cite this Entry
“Wrongful death.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wrongful%20death. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Legal Definition
wrongful death
noun
: a death caused by the negligent, willful, or wrongful act, neglect, omission, or default of another
sought damages for the wrongful death of their murdered daughter
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