capital punishment
noun
: punishment by death : the practice of killing people as punishment for serious crimes
an opponent of capital punishment
Examples of capital punishment in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some family members angrily demanded capital punishment, saying Aldrich should learn to live in fear.
—
Emily Wax-Thibodeaux, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
The Department of Justice has only sought the death penalty once during the term of President Joe Biden, the first president in office to openly oppose capital punishment.
—Zoey Thomas, Miami Herald, 13 June 2024
Sirhan was convicted of murder and given a death sentence that was commuted to life in prison in 1972 during a period when California outlawed capital punishment.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 5 June 2024
His work deals with topics including capital punishment and the persecution of writers.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 13 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for capital punishment 
Emily Wax-Thibodeaux, Washington Post, 18 June 2024
The Department of Justice has only sought the death penalty once during the term of President Joe Biden, the first president in office to openly oppose capital punishment.
—Zoey Thomas, Miami Herald, 13 June 2024
Sirhan was convicted of murder and given a death sentence that was commuted to life in prison in 1972 during a period when California outlawed capital punishment.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 5 June 2024
His work deals with topics including capital punishment and the persecution of writers.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 13 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for capital punishment
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'capital punishment.' 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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Cite this Entry
“Capital punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capital%20punishment. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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