firing squad
Americannoun
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a military detachment assigned to execute a condemned person by shooting.
-
a military detachment assigned to fire a salute at the burial of a person being honored.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of firing squad
First recorded in 1900–05
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.
In 1867, as Paris withdrew support and Washington backed the nationalist cause, Maximilian drew his final breath before a Mexican firing squad.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2025
Randy Gardner, the brother of Ronnie Gardner, who was executed by firing squad in 2010, agrees with Antognini.
From Slate • Mar. 11, 2025
Other works include The Execution of Christ, a statue depicting Jesus facing down a firing squad of Maos, and Miss Mao, a collection of statues of Mao with large breasts and protruding noses.
From BBC • Sep. 3, 2024
“The use of the firing squad is, in my opinion, beneath the dignity of the state of Idaho.”
From Washington Times • Mar. 20, 2023
He survived fourteen attempts on his life, seventy-three ambushes, and a firing squad.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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.
