death penalty

noun

: death as punishment for a crime : capital punishment

—used with the

Prosecutors recommended the death penalty.

Examples of death penalty in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Others have been prosecuted under a counterterrorism law that carries a potential death penalty and has been used to target political and armed opponents, journalists and other dissenters. —ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026

In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled that Georgia’s death penalty as then applied was arbitrary and discriminatory, forcing all states to rewrite their laws and beef up their systems to provide for death row defense lawyers. —The Week Us, TheWeek, 13 Apr. 2026

Candidates including a political dynasty heiress and a comedian are proposing hard-line security measures including mega-prisons and death penalty reinstatement to address voter concerns. —Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026

During the trial, the jurors didn’t realize that Braddy had been on Florida’s Death Row since 2007, when he was convicted, and remained there until he was granted a new sentencing trial due to constitutional issues surrounding the state’s death penalty. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026

The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute Horner on the charges while he is being tried for a possible death penalty in the Athena Strand case, according to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026

Though Kentucky has a death penalty, executions have been paused since 2010 when a Franklin Circuit Court judge issued an injunction over concerns about the state's lethal injection protocol. —Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Apr. 2026

The protest, organized by national anti-death penalty organizations Death Penalty Action and Worth Rise, was attended mostly by local faith leaders and members. —Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 1 Apr. 2026

Mangione no longer faces the potential death penalty. —Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1836, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

death penalty

noun

: death as punishment for a crime

called also capital punishment

see also cruel and unusual punishment, Gregg v. Georgia

Note: The U.S. Supreme Court has held that the death penalty is not inherently violative of the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, provided that the method is not deemed cruel and that the punishment is not excessive in relation to the crime. A statute mandating the death penalty is unconstitutional, however. A sentencing judge is required to consider any mitigating circumstances before imposing the death penalty for a crime.