death row

American  

noun

• death rows
  plural

1. a row of prison cells for prisoners awaiting execution.

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death row British  

noun

1. the part of a prison where those sentenced to death are confined

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• death rows
  plural

Etymology

Origin of death row

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

death row

Represent some people on death row, bring some prison-condition cases, do something about all sorts of issues.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

Japan and the United States are the only G7 countries that still impose capital punishment, with death row prisoners in Japan typically being notified of their hanging just a few hours in advance.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Take the case of Areli Escobar, who is on death row in Texas.

From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026

On death row in Urmia’s main prison, Bakerzadeh became friends with Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, a barber from a village near the city who was also arrested after the protests for women’s rights.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

The Alabama Supreme Court had scheduled execution dates for several death row prisoners who had completed the appeals process.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson