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
As part of their plea deals, the state of Ohio agreed to drop the death penalty as punishment for them, along with Billy and George Wagner.
—
The Enquirer, 15 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors have already stated their intent to seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted by a jury.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 11 Apr. 2024
Capital punishment in California has been on hold since March 13, 2019, when Newsom signed an executive order for a moratorium on the death penalty in the form of a reprieve for all people sentenced to death.
—John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Over the years, voters have decided to keep the death penalty when asked via ballot measures.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Iran — already notorious for its high rate of executions — has ramped up its use of the death penalty, according to anAmnesty International report published Thursday.
—Nilo Tabrizy, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Russia does not have the death penalty, but in a statement on state channel Rossiya-24, Vladimir Vasiliev, the head of the United Russia faction in the lower house of parliament, said fellow lawmakers might consider the issue of reviving it.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024
If convicted of capital murder, Hernandez, Vasquez and Ma Ney Gay would have been sentenced to life without parole, the automatic punishment in cases in which a district attorney’s office waives the death penalty.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Dorsey’s scheduled execution comes at a moment of flux for Missouri, which was an epicenter of executions a decade ago and now has dueling efforts in its state Legislature to expand the death penalty and abolish it.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
The Enquirer, 15 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors have already stated their intent to seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted by a jury.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 11 Apr. 2024
Capital punishment in California has been on hold since March 13, 2019, when Newsom signed an executive order for a moratorium on the death penalty in the form of a reprieve for all people sentenced to death.
—John Woolfolk, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
Over the years, voters have decided to keep the death penalty when asked via ballot measures.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Iran — already notorious for its high rate of executions — has ramped up its use of the death penalty, according to anAmnesty International report published Thursday.
—Nilo Tabrizy, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Russia does not have the death penalty, but in a statement on state channel Rossiya-24, Vladimir Vasiliev, the head of the United Russia faction in the lower house of parliament, said fellow lawmakers might consider the issue of reviving it.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024
If convicted of capital murder, Hernandez, Vasquez and Ma Ney Gay would have been sentenced to life without parole, the automatic punishment in cases in which a district attorney’s office waives the death penalty.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Dorsey’s scheduled execution comes at a moment of flux for Missouri, which was an epicenter of executions a decade ago and now has dueling efforts in its state Legislature to expand the death penalty and abolish it.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the death penalty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near 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 28 Apr. 2024.
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