the death penalty

noun

: death as a punishment given by a court of law for very serious crimes : capital punishment

If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

She opposes the death penalty.

Examples of the death penalty in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The jury voted 9-3 in favor of the death penalty for Missy MacIvors’s killing and 8-4 for her husband’s. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Gascón instituted a number of unilateral policies on his first day in office — barring prosecutors from trying juveniles as adults, seeking the death penalty or charging certain misdemeanors — that left him at war with his own staff. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

An Idaho prosecutor is seeking the death penalty against a woman charged with murder in the 2025 deaths of her twin toddlers. — CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Many voters who support more liberal leaders still want to keep the death penalty intact. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026