capital punishment

noun

: punishment by death : the practice of killing people as punishment for serious crimes

called also death penalty

Examples of capital punishment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Nathan Hochman has not said when prosecutors will make a decision about seeking capital punishment. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026 Pennsylvania House Bill 99 and House Bill 888 supporters argue that capital punishment is costly, inconsistently applied and has resulted in innocent people being executed in the past. Whp-Tv Staff, Baltimore Sun, 28 Apr. 2026 Hours earlier, the pontiff had condemned capital punishment aboard the papal plane, when asked about executions carried out by the Iranian government. Willem Marx, NPR, 25 Apr. 2026 The murder charges include the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, opening him to a possible death sentence if prosecutors choose to pursue capital punishment. City News Service, Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for capital punishment

Word History

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of capital punishment was in 1581

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Cite this Entry

“Capital punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capital%20punishment. Accessed 3 May. 2026.

Legal Definition

capital punishment

noun
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