firing squad
Americannoun
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firing squads
plural
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a military detachment assigned to execute a condemned person by shooting.
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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.
US President Donald Trump has called off plans to livestream the execution of former US army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan by firing squad.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
He said the last military execution was in 1961, and the last by firing squad was in 1945.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Their most famous works include “The Execution of Christ,” in which a firing squad of Mao’s take aim at Jesus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Granted, they have been gunning for his judgement too, in a circular firing squad about credibility.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
At eight years old, Timmy had distributed illegal communist leaflets in tsarist Russia; as a teen, he survived being executed by firing squad by playing dead on the ground for two days.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
