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
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.
Meanwhile, death penalty advocates are speaking out against the federal government’s decision to pursue capital punishment. Lorena O'Neil, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025 The Court decided states and the federal government were imposing capital punishment in an arbitrary and inconsistent manner that was racially and otherwise discriminatory. Kristin Wright, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025 Luigi Mangione indicted on federal charges for CEO killing Attorney General Pam Bondi already signaled that President Donald's Trump administration's intended to execute Mangione as part of the president's push to reinstate capital punishment. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 24 Apr. 2025 As a penalty for repeat discovery violations by the state, capital punishment was dropped in Lori Vallow Daybell’s 2023 Idaho murder trial, which set a new precedent the defense is now attempting to apply to Kohberger’s case. Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 8 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for capital punishment

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Capital punishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capital%20punishment. Accessed 12 May. 2025.

Legal Definition

capital punishment

noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!