ˈdeath ˌsentence noun [countable]

1. the official punishment of death, ordered by a judge:
He received a death sentence.
Premeditated murder carries (=is punished by) the death sentence.

2. something such as an illness that makes you sure you will die:
Cancer is no longer a death sentence.

3. an action or decision that is very harmful to someone or something:
In 1987, the government passed a death sentence on the river by granting permission for the new dam.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲