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
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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
Carr clearly got a taste for murder as the show progressed, bumping off Paloma Faith in plain sight and handing Lucy Beaumont her death warrant.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025
If and when the state kills, every decision, including whether and when to issue a death warrant, must be done publicly, deliberately, and in a way that accords the condemned due process of law.
From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2025
Officials then tried a central line, which involves a catheter placed into a large vein, but were unable to complete the process before the death warrant expired.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2024
I quickly prayed that my master wouldn’t swindle the ogre and get himself yet another death warrant.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
