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

Before leaving office, former president Joe Biden gave clemency to 37 of the 40 federal death row prisoners.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

The long, arduous path to freedom for a man on death row is dramatized in “The Fear of 13,” a modestly affecting but plodding documentary-based play first seen at London’s prestigious Donmar Warehouse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

In 1995, Penn was lured back to the screen by friend Tim Robbins, earning his first Oscar nomination for the death row tale "Dead Man Walking."

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

And, at the prison that used to hold death row, incarcerated people are able to see the San Francisco Bay from a new education center that’s meant to help them prepare for life outside.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2026

Anthony Ray Hinton was on death row when Walter McMillian arrived in the 1980s.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson