firing squad

American  

noun

1. a military detachment assigned to execute a condemned person by shooting.

2. a military detachment assigned to fire a salute at the burial of a person being honored.

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firing squad British  

noun

1. a small military detachment formed to implement a death sentence by shooting

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Etymology

Origin of firing squad

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Adding the firing squad in Arizona requires a constitutional amendment because the state’s constitution explicitly describes the sole methods of execution allowable for the state.

From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026

“These kids did an adult job, basically facing a firing squad every day,” her daughter-in-law, Libby Boyce, said in an interview.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 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 state asked the Supreme Court to toss out a lower court ruling after a 2022 trial that the electric chair and the firing squad are cruel and unusual punishments.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2023

It was a true account of the death before an American firing squad of Private Eddie D. Slovik, 36896415, the only American soldier to be shot for cowardice since the Civil War.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut