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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
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
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Word History
First Known Use
1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for firing squad
Britannica English: Translation of firing squad for Arabic Speakers
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