Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

life sentence

American  

noun

life sentences plural
  1. a sentence condemning a convicted felon to spend the rest of their life in prison.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

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 her statement, Katie said her loss felt like the family had "been handed a life sentence", and would "never stop loving and missing our beautiful girl".

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026

Singh said at the march that attacks on Sikhs had taken place "up and down the country" every day since Digwa was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years in prison.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

Nevertheless, Fernandez was convicted and received a mandatory life sentence.

From Slate • May 29, 2026

Daniel now faces a mandatory life sentence, though the court didn’t immediately disclose a sentencing date.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

If he received a life sentence, he’d be eligible to go before the parole board in seven years.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "life sentence" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com