capital punishment
Americannoun
noun
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In the United States, capital punishment has been an extremely controversial issue on legal, moral, and ethical grounds. In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was not, in principle, cruel and unusual punishment (and not, therefore, unconstitutional), but that its implementation through existing state laws was unconstitutional. In 1976, the Supreme Court again ruled that the death penalty was not unconstitutional, though a mandatory death penalty for any crime was. Thirty-nine states now practice the death penalty.
Etymology
Origin of capital punishment
First recorded in 1575–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Prosecutors have yet to decide whether they will seek capital punishment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
In the world of capital punishment, Burton is not alone in coming under suspicion.
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026
The district attorney’s office did not seek capital punishment in the case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The latest legislation follows years of campaigning by civil society groups and lawyers for the removal of capital punishment from Lebanese law.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
So it wasn’t capital punishment that drove crime down, nor was it the booming economy.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
