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capital punishment
noun
: punishment by death : the practice of killing people as punishment for serious crimes
an opponent of capital punishment
Examples of capital punishment in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Using rigorous statistical and experimental control methods, both economics and criminal justice studies have consistently found that there is no evidence for deterrence of violent crimes in states that allow capital punishment.
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The Editors, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2024
While the state of New York does not have capital punishment, the department received an opportunity to seek the penalty in a separate federal hate crimes case against Gendron.
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Evan Rosen, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2024
But Arguelles said on Friday that Ramos, 50, has adequate intellectual capabilities and prosecutors can continue to seek capital punishment.
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Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 29 June 2024
Black Americans have historically had skeptical attitudes toward the death penalty, and some studies suggest that prosecutors have skewed juries to favor those who support capital punishment, often resulting in the exclusion of Black jurors.
—
Calmatters, The Mercury News, 21 June 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'capital punishment.' 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
“Capital punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capital%20punishment. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
Legal Definition
capital punishment
nounMore from Merriam-Webster on capital punishment
Britannica English: Translation of capital punishment for Arabic Speakers
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