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
Without this determination, capital defendants in the Lone Star State are not eligible for the death penalty, per state law.
—
Dakin Andone, CNN, 26 June 2024
The Justice Department will have final say over whether to pursue the death penalty for Dominguez-Nieves, who was not on the boat during the illicit trip.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 25 June 2024
Hunt even passed a popular referendum abolishing the death penalty, but right-wing interests succeeded in bringing it back shortly thereafter.
—The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
The suspects weren't eligible for the death penalty as of Friday afternoon, but that might change as their cases progress through the courts, Donnelly said.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for the death penalty 
Dakin Andone, CNN, 26 June 2024
The Justice Department will have final say over whether to pursue the death penalty for Dominguez-Nieves, who was not on the boat during the illicit trip.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 25 June 2024
Hunt even passed a popular referendum abolishing the death penalty, but right-wing interests succeeded in bringing it back shortly thereafter.
—The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
The suspects weren't eligible for the death penalty as of Friday afternoon, but that might change as their cases progress through the courts, Donnelly said.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for the death penalty
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.
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“The death penalty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20death%20penalty. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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