death warrant
Americannoun
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an official order authorizing the execution of the sentence of death.
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anything that ends hope, expectation, etc.
noun
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the official authorization for carrying out a sentence of death
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to cause one's own destruction
Etymology
Origin of death warrant
First recorded in 1685–95
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.
Critics say this mothballing will amount to a death warrant, and have asked San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors to give the fountain another chance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
Carr clearly got a taste for murder as the show progressed, bumping off Paloma Faith in plain sight and handing Lucy Beaumont her death warrant.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025
That neighboring Indiana recently broke from the group of death penalty swing states after having not carried out an execution in 15 years makes Beshear’s refusal to issue a death warrant all the more significant.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2025
When Archerd’s death warrant was signed, Reiner won a last-minute stay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 27, 2024
Any attempt we make to oppose these outbursts of energy is tantamount to signing our death warrant.
From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
