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
Five states still use a firing squad if no lethal injection drugs are available, including Mississippi, Oklahoma, Utah, South Carolina and Idaho, which reinstated firing squads last year.
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Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 26 Sep. 2024
South Carolina law allows condemned inmates to choose lethal injection, the new firing squad or the electric chair built in 1912.
—CBS News, 20 Sep. 2024
Amid the state’s lethal injection medication supply issues at the time and with the firing squad method not yet established, death by electrocution was the only method of execution, the AP reported.
—Ashley R. Williams, CNN, 20 Sep. 2024
The methods Idaho uses for execution — lethal injection or a firing squad — are inhumane and violate Kohberger’s constitutional rights protecting against cruel and unusual punishment.
—Susan Baek, NBC News, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for firing squad 
Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 26 Sep. 2024
South Carolina law allows condemned inmates to choose lethal injection, the new firing squad or the electric chair built in 1912.
—CBS News, 20 Sep. 2024
Amid the state’s lethal injection medication supply issues at the time and with the firing squad method not yet established, death by electrocution was the only method of execution, the AP reported.
—Ashley R. Williams, CNN, 20 Sep. 2024
The methods Idaho uses for execution — lethal injection or a firing squad — are inhumane and violate Kohberger’s constitutional rights protecting against cruel and unusual punishment.
—Susan Baek, NBC News, 6 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for firing squad
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'firing squad.' 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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“Firing squad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firing%20squad. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.
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