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
The federal death penalty is in all 50 states and U.S. territories but is used relatively rarely compared to the use of capital punishment by states.
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Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2025
Trump is a longtime supporter of capital punishment who advocated for drug dealers to be put to death in his first term and famously called for the executions of five Black teenagers accused and ultimately exonerated of raping an investment banker who was jogging in Central Park.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2025
Although the murder of a law enforcement officer can be eligible for capital punishment under California law, Gascon had banned line prosecutors from seeking special circumstance allegations, including for gun enhancements and targeting on-duty officers.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 25 Mar. 2025
The adoption of the method came just hours before Louisiana ended a 15-year pause on capital punishment with the nitrogen gas execution of Jessie Hoffman, marking the first time the method has been used outside of Alabama and only the fifth time in the U.S. since last January.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2025
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Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2025
Trump is a longtime supporter of capital punishment who advocated for drug dealers to be put to death in his first term and famously called for the executions of five Black teenagers accused and ultimately exonerated of raping an investment banker who was jogging in Central Park.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2025
Although the murder of a law enforcement officer can be eligible for capital punishment under California law, Gascon had banned line prosecutors from seeking special circumstance allegations, including for gun enhancements and targeting on-duty officers.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 25 Mar. 2025
The adoption of the method came just hours before Louisiana ended a 15-year pause on capital punishment with the nitrogen gas execution of Jessie Hoffman, marking the first time the method has been used outside of Alabama and only the fifth time in the U.S. since last January.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for capital punishment
Cite this Entry
“Capital punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capital%20punishment. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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