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

Natasha Minsker is the Director of the California Anti-Death Penalty Coalition — an organization pushing to end the death penalty all together. — Steve Large, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2026

That is, the jury can, even after a defendant is found guilty of murder with special circumstances, opt to not apply the death penalty. — Jonathan Hatami, Oc Register, 12 Nov. 2026

For Aladjem, the death penalty is at once deeply problematic on its own and a symptom of a wider malaise. — Dominic Erdozain, Time, 12 Nov. 2026

In 2019, Newsom put a moratorium on the death penalty and began remaking San Quentin following a European model of incarceration that stresses rehabilitation. — Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026