death warrant
Americannoun
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an official order authorizing the execution of the sentence of death.
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anything that ends hope, expectation, etc.
noun
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the official authorization for carrying out a sentence of death
-
to cause one's own destruction
Etymology
Origin of death warrant
First recorded in 1685–95
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.
Critics say this mothballing will amount to a death warrant, and have asked San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors to give the fountain another chance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
Crucially, it grants the governor great latitude in selecting to whom he will issue a death warrant.
From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2025
By the time the death warrant is officially signed, the hockey team patient, and even die-hard fans, usually have long since come to terms with that mortality.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 11, 2024
But the 36-year-old business manager, from Manchester, signed his own death warrant on last night's episode when he was banished from the castle after a standoff with a fellow traitor.
From BBC ● Jan. 19, 2024
Any attempt we make to oppose these outbursts of energy is tantamount to signing our death warrant.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
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.
