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

Ramona Girls soccer After the Bulldogs took a 5-4 lead in sudden-death penalty kicks, the junior keeper blocked a University City shot to give Ramona the victory in the section Division 3 title game. —Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026

The law carries a potential death penalty and was widely used to arrest and imprison political opponents, journalists, and others involved in dissent since the 2021 army takeover. —ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026

His attorneys had argued that Florida corrections officials had mismanaged its own death penalty protocols. —Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026

The Florida Supreme Court recently denied appeals in which Trotter’s attorneys argued officials had mismanaged his death penalty protocols. —David Fischer, Sun Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026

Hochman, who reversed his predecessor’s moratorium on seeking execution, said that veteran prosecutors with death penalty experience would be involved in the decision. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 23 Feb. 2026

Legal experts say graphic videos could bias jurors into viewing the killing as especially heinous, a critical aggravating factor in the prosecution’s death penalty case. —Matthew Brown, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026

That type of evidence was introduced in 12% of all murder trials and 25% of death penalty trials between 2014 and 2024. —Christopher M. Filley, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026

Did a conflict of interest play into death penalty pursuit? —Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 2 Feb. 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.