death row

noun

: a prison area housing inmates sentenced to death
usually used with on
prisoners waiting on death row

Examples of death row in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In January, the court agreed to decide whether Richard Glossip, a death row inmate in Oklahoma, deserves a new trial after a confession of error from the state’s Republican attorney general. Adam Liptak, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Thomas Eugene Creech’s new execution date has not been set Thomas Eugene Creech was set to be the third death row inmate executed in the country so far this year. Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 Cantu’s execution took place just hours after Idaho officials on Wednesday halted the lethal injection of death row inmate Thomas Creech, 73, in the latest example of a state struggling to carry out the process because of an inability to establish an IV line. Dakin Andone, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024 The state of Idaho on Wednesday was unable to execute Thomas Eugene Creech, one of the longest-serving death row inmates in the U.S. Medical personnel administering the lethal injection failed to establish an IV line despite trying for roughly an hour. Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 28 Feb. 2024 Thomas Eugene Creech convicted in multiple killings Born in Hamilton, Ohio, 73-year-old Thomas Eugene Creech is one of the nation's longest-serving death row inmates. Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2024 Alabama has asked the state's Supreme Court to approve a date for death row inmate Alan Eugene Miller's execution, which would be carried out using nitrogen hypoxia. S. Dev, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2024 The court ordered that anyone on death row who was sentenced before the Ring decision in 2002 wouldn’t receive a resentencing. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2024 One third of his death row cases were found to be flawed. Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'death row.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of death row was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near death row

Cite this Entry

“Death row.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20row. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

death row

noun
: a prison area housing inmates sentenced to death
death row adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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