life imprisonment

British

noun

(in Britain) an indeterminate sentence always given for murder and as a maximum sentence in several other crimes. There is no remission, although the Home Secretary may order the prisoner's release on licence

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

For his crimes, an American military court sentenced Giesler to life imprisonment, but his sentence was repeatedly trimmed before he was set free in October 1952.

From The Wall Street Journal

Despite a lack of evidence, Dreyfus was convicted of treason, sentenced to life imprisonment in the infamous Devil's Island penal colony in French Guiana and publicly stripped of his rank.

From Barron's

If he is found guilty, he faces life imprisonment for murder.

From BBC

Five were sentenced to life imprisonment, while nine others were handed jail sentences ranging from three to 20 years.

From BBC

The Shenzhen court also handed two other defendants death sentences with two-year reprieves -- a verdict that often results in life imprisonment.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023