firing squad

noun

1
: a detachment detailed to fire volleys over the grave of one buried with military honors
2
: a detachment detailed to carry out a sentence of death by shooting

Examples of firing squad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But the state legislature passed a shield law last year allowing officials to keep lethal injection drug suppliers private and the state Supreme Court ruled that the electric chair and firing squad would also be available as execution methods. Landon Mion, Fox News, 8 Sep. 2024 President Gerald Ford's Republican Daughter Endorses Kamala Harris: 'America Cannot Regress' On Oct. 31, while appearing at Tucker Carlson's Live Tour, Trump suggested that former Rep. Liz Cheney face a firing squad. Liam Quinn, People.com, 5 Nov. 2024 Dozens of top figures of the previous regime were captured, summarily tried, and executed by a firing squad, night after night, on the roof of a school where the leader of the revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, had taken residence in central Tehran. Kasra Naji, Foreign Affairs, 17 Aug. 2016 It was then scheduled for 2022, when Moore was set to be killed by a firing squad, but his attorneys were able to delay it after challenging the constitutionality of the method. Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for firing squad 

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of firing squad was in 1864

Dictionary Entries Near firing squad

Cite this Entry

“Firing squad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firing%20squad. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

firing squad

noun
fir·​ing squad
ˈfī(ə)r-iŋ-
1
: a military unit assigned to fire shots over the grave of one buried with military honors
2
: a military unit assigned to carry out a sentence of death by shooting

More from Merriam-Webster on firing squad

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