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

The state’s most recent death penalty execution happened in 2006. — Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Many death penalty cases also involve lengthy legal battles, keeping people on death row for years and sometimes decades. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 6 Nov. 2026

Careful to avoid elevating a death penalty debate in the midterm elections, Newsom intentionally waited until after the general election on Tuesday to go a step further and launch the process of commuting all California death penalty sentences. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026

Newsom’s proposal was embraced by death penalty abolitionists, human rights advocates and faith communities. — Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 5 Nov. 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.