firing squad
noun
1
: a detachment detailed to fire volleys over the grave of one buried with military honors
2
: a detachment detailed to carry out a sentence of death by shooting
Examples of firing squad in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This undated photo provided by the South Carolina Department of Corrections shows the state's death chamber in Columbia, S.C., including the electric chair, right, and a firing squad chair, left.
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CBS News, 9 Apr. 2025
In 2025, as of April 7, 10 people have been executed in the U.S. by lethal injection, nitrogen gas or firing squad, and several more executions are scheduled this year.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
Look at you, 10 years old, being asked to imagine a girl’s death via firing squad!
—Gabra Zackman Emma Kehlbeck Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
The high courts in Georgia and Nebraska banned electrocution, and a circuit judge in South Carolina found both the firing squad and electric chair unconstitutional in 2022.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firing squad
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CBS News, 9 Apr. 2025
In 2025, as of April 7, 10 people have been executed in the U.S. by lethal injection, nitrogen gas or firing squad, and several more executions are scheduled this year.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
Look at you, 10 years old, being asked to imagine a girl’s death via firing squad!
—Gabra Zackman Emma Kehlbeck Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
The high courts in Georgia and Nebraska banned electrocution, and a circuit judge in South Carolina found both the firing squad and electric chair unconstitutional in 2022.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firing squad
Cite this Entry
“Firing squad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firing%20squad. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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