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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Tennessee has 45 inmates on death row, and three people have been granted clemency in the state. CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025 Whether the high court will now make raising a claim harder is a matter of life or death for Joseph Smith, an Alabama inmate on death row for a brutal murder in 1997. Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025 Smith has spent nearly half his life on death row following his conviction for the 1997 killing of Durk Van Dam. Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025 More broadly, the ruling could determine how many other borderline intellectually disabled people on death row could be able to convert their death sentences into life behind bars. Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 10 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for death row

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of death row was in 1894

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Cite this Entry

“Death row.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20row. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.

Legal Definition

death row

noun
: a prison area housing inmates sentenced to death
death row adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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