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
But in court filings, the defense team pointed to another criminal case where prosecutors were accused of contempt and said one potential remedy was to bar the state from seeking the death penalty.
—
ABC News, 12 June 2026
The defense asked the judge to block prosecutors from seeking the death penalty if prosecutors are found in contempt for the comments.
—Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
The jury that presided over his criminal case voted 7-2 for Lee to receive a lifetime prison sentence rather than face the death penalty, but the trial judge overruled them.
—CBS News, 12 June 2026
By pleading guilty, Boelter will not face the possibility of the death penalty, per court records.
—Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for the death penalty
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
ABC News, 12 June 2026
The defense asked the judge to block prosecutors from seeking the death penalty if prosecutors are found in contempt for the comments.
—Andi Babineau, CNN Money, 12 June 2026
The jury that presided over his criminal case voted 7-2 for Lee to receive a lifetime prison sentence rather than face the death penalty, but the trial judge overruled them.
—CBS News, 12 June 2026
By pleading guilty, Boelter will not face the possibility of the death penalty, per court records.
—Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for the death penalty
Cite this Entry
“The death penalty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20death%20penalty. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
