1
a
: of, relating to, or causing death
death by lethal injection
b
: capable of causing death
lethal chemicals
2
: gravely damaging or destructive : devastating
a lethal attack on his reputation
3
: very potent or effective
a lethal fastball
also
: having a high alcohol content
a lethal rum punch
1
: an abnormality of genetic origin causing the death of the organism possessing it
2
Synonyms
Examples of lethal in a Sentence
Adjective
a potentially lethal dose of a drug
He was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
Recent Examples on the Web
Maysoon Khan, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
The intersection is in a 40 mph zone, but San Juan has an unprotected bike lane that leaves cyclists fully exposed to lethal speeds.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 15 Apr. 2024
The tools also come as Meta, along with other social networks, face thousands of wrongful death lawsuits about how the platforms have caused harm to young users, from facilitating the sales of lethal drugs to enabling eating disorders and social media addictions.
—Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
The state carried out Dorsey's death sentence by lethal injection at Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri's Department of Corrections said in a statement.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
Beijing is not providing direct lethal aid to Moscow, but China’s indirect support for the Russian war effort is indispensable.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
Image Image To the north near Kharkiv, six miles from the front line, residents live in range of Russia’s lethal artillery.
—Emile Ducke Thomas Gibbons-Neff, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
This outcome is emblematic of a vicious cycle in which Russia absorbs Ukrainian ingenuity and turns it back against Ukraine, spurring further lethal ingenuity.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
At that point, SWAT officers utilized less lethal launchers.
—Jen Guadarrama, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Apr. 2024
Kylie Bourne, Discover Magazine, 14 Sep. 2015
Almost 8 of 10 lethal overdose victims had no contact with the agency before their deaths, the report found.
—Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2020
In response to Russian operations and Chinese advances, the USAF is battling for air superiority in the Arctic with its most valuable—and lethal—assets in Alaska, including the F-22A Raptor and F-35A Joint Strike Fighter.
—Jeff Bolton, Popular Mechanics, 19 July 2020
Adjective
City Council Member Shaun Abreu proposed a city ordinance Thursday that would establish a pilot program for controlling the millions of rats lurking in subway stations and empty lots by using birth control instead of lethal chemicals.
—Maysoon Khan, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
The intersection is in a 40 mph zone, but San Juan has an unprotected bike lane that leaves cyclists fully exposed to lethal speeds.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 15 Apr. 2024
The tools also come as Meta, along with other social networks, face thousands of wrongful death lawsuits about how the platforms have caused harm to young users, from facilitating the sales of lethal drugs to enabling eating disorders and social media addictions.
—Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
The state carried out Dorsey's death sentence by lethal injection at Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri's Department of Corrections said in a statement.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
Beijing is not providing direct lethal aid to Moscow, but China’s indirect support for the Russian war effort is indispensable.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
Image Image To the north near Kharkiv, six miles from the front line, residents live in range of Russia’s lethal artillery.
—Emile Ducke Thomas Gibbons-Neff, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
This outcome is emblematic of a vicious cycle in which Russia absorbs Ukrainian ingenuity and turns it back against Ukraine, spurring further lethal ingenuity.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
At that point, SWAT officers utilized less lethal launchers.
—Jen Guadarrama, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Apr. 2024
Noun
There are already concerns in Australia about the rate of escalation of force at some protests and about the use of less-than-lethal weaponry itself.
—Kylie Bourne, Discover Magazine, 14 Sep. 2015
Almost 8 of 10 lethal overdose victims had no contact with the agency before their deaths, the report found.
—Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2020
In response to Russian operations and Chinese advances, the USAF is battling for air superiority in the Arctic with its most valuable—and lethal—assets in Alaska, including the F-22A Raptor and F-35A Joint Strike Fighter.
—Jeff Bolton, Popular Mechanics, 19 July 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lethal.' 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 lethal
Cite this Entry
“Lethal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lethal. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lethal
2 of 2 nounMedical Definition
lethal
1 of 2 adjective
le·thal
ˈlē-thəl 
: of, relating to, or causing death
a lethal injury
also
: capable of causing death
lethal chemicals
a lethal dose
lethally
adverb
lethal
2 of 2 noun1
: an abnormality of genetic origin causing the death of the organism possessing it usually before maturity
2
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