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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
As an alternative to capital punishment, many states have mandatory life sentences for certain serious crimes.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 26 Sep. 2024
The capital punishment case saw national attention with Williams maintaining his innocence, the victim's family opposing the execution and his prosecution submitting motions for appeals at every level.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2024
Japan's death-row inmates Japan is the only industrialised democracy other than the US that still uses capital punishment.
—Harriet Marsden, The Week Uk, theweek, 10 July 2024
Controversy over determining threat to society as criteria for capital punishment.
—Naomi Nix, Washington Post, 30 June 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 1 Oct. 2024.
Legal Definition
capital punishment
nounMore from Merriam-Webster on capital punishment
Britannica English: Translation of capital punishment for Arabic Speakers
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