price on one's head

A reward for capturing or killing someone, usually someone guilty of a crime. For example, He was a serial killer, and they put a price on his head. The head in this term presumably alludes to the older punishment of beheading. [Mid-1700s]

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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.

To have a price on one's head of $3.4 million.

Having a price on one's head is not a joking matter.

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