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

Horner's case is also automatically being appealed to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, as is standard for all death penalty sentences. — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 21 July 2026

The co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel avoided a possible death penalty after pleading guilty last year to leading a continuing criminal enterprise and admitting to trafficking millions of kilograms of cocaine over decades. — Sol Amaya, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

Derek Adame, a criminal defense attorney in Denton County and a certified death penalty lawyer who is not involved in the Horner case, said filing a motion for a new trial is a common strategy, especially in death penalty cases. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026

The executions have drawn attention to the ageing death-row population in the US, as well as Florida’s status as the foremost death penalty state. — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 16 July 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.