death sentence noun
plural ∼ -tences [count] 1 : the decision by a court of law that the punishment for someone's crime will be death
▪ She received a death sentence for the murders. 2 a : something (such as a disease) that is sure to cause death — usually singular ▪ With the new medicines available, AIDS is no longer an automatic death sentence.
b : an act or event that ends something permanently — usually singular ▪ The cut in funding was a death sentence for the school's music program.
▪ She received a death sentence for the murders.
b : an act or event that ends something permanently — usually singular ▪ The cut in funding was a death sentence for the school's music program.
