Definitions

death penalty

NOUN

execution of a condemned person

Synonyms

STRONGEST

capital punishment

WEAK

death sentence death warrant execution judicial execution judicial murder legalized killing

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But instead of ending capital punishment in the United States, the Furman decision set off a scramble in which states reenacted their death penalty laws in the hope of curing the problem Justice Douglas identified.

From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026

It is time to face the fact that Gregg failed to put the death penalty on a sound footing and that nothing can improve on Gregg’s frailties.

From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026

Multiple Zizian trials are pending, with federal prosecutors seeking the death penalty in one case.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

The sentence was commuted to life in prison last June, after Vietnam abolished the death penalty for a range of crimes.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

But in 1989, driven by a change in the Supreme Court's treatment of death penalty appeals and shifts in the political winds, the attorney general's office began vigorously seeking executions of condemned prisoners.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson