death row

noun

: a prison area housing inmates sentenced to death

—usually used with on

prisoners waiting on death row

Examples of death row in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Newsom’s announcement doesn’t automatically remove every inmate from death row. — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026

In June 2025, however, the California Supreme Court clarified that SB 483 applied only to portions of death row inmates’ sentences unrelated to their death sentences. — Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 6 Nov. 2026

No one has been executed in the state since 2006 and California has the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere. — Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2026

Black people accounted for a third of California’s death row population, despite making up around 6% of the state’s overall population, according to Judicial Council budget materials from May. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 6 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for death row

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Legal Definition

death row

noun

: a prison area housing inmates sentenced to death

death row adjective