death row

noun

: a prison area housing inmates sentenced to death
—usually used with on
prisoners waiting on death row

Examples of death row in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Trail currently is on death row and petitioned the state of Nebraska in August 2023 to set his execution date; Trail is 10th in line on death row for the state. — Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026 More recently, the outgoing governor — who is expected to run for president in 2028 — has mulled commuting all 536 state death row prisoners’ sentences to life without parole. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Florida's method is different from the single-drug injection used in states like Tennessee, where death row inmate Christa Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital and was rushed to the hospital last month. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026 Before the arrival of the Sisters of Mary Morning Star, the death row inmates had been plagued by petty infighting. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for death row

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of death row was in 1894

Rhymes for death row

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Browse Nearby Words

death rope
death row
death sentence
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Cite this Entry

“Death row.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20row. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Legal Definition

death row

noun
: a prison area housing inmates sentenced to death
death row adjective
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