From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcapital punishmentˌcapital ˈpunishment ●○○ noun [uncountable] SCLKILLpunishment which involves killing someone who has committed a crime → death penalty
Examples from the Corpus
capital punishment• On the question whether on merits it would be desirable to abolish capital punishment Ministers were divided.• Our eagerness for capital punishment echoes the mentality of the old slave code.• The minutes continued: The Cabinet then discussed the question of the abolition of capital punishment.• He seems to become especially intense when questioning turns to the issue of capital punishment.• There were a few men and women dressed in black, who waited as silent witnesses to the obscenity of capital punishment.• The back-to-back executions would quicken the pace of capital punishment in Maryland.• It called for a free vote on marijuana, and also for possible referendums on abortion and the restoration of capital punishment.• This whole capital punishment thing is becoming a real pain in the neck for a civilized society. 