life sentence

noun

: the punishment of being sent to prison for the rest of one's life

He received a life sentence for his crimes.

Examples of life sentence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The former Cheers star was the second son born to Diane Harrelson (née Oswald), a devoutly religious legal secretary, and Charles Harrelson, a professional hitman who died while serving a life sentence for killing a federal judge. —

Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 23 Apr. 2024 Though he was acquitted in July 2019 and avoided a life sentence, the Los Angeles district attorney refiled charges one month later for criminal gang conspiracy and the shooting of a motor vehicle, arguing that his crew, known as the Stinc Team, was a gang, according to reports. —

Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024 Early last year, state lawmakers, livid that convicted Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooter Nikolas Cruz only received a life sentence, altered the law to only require the jury to vote 8-4 for death. —

Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024 James Crumbley purchased handgun for Ethan Crumbley Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to all his crimes and is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. —

Tresa Baldas, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024 A week after his arrest, Anderson was charged with first-degree intentional homicide (which carries a life sentence), mutilating a corpse and arson. —

Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024 Suspect identified:Woman arrested in 2005 case of baby found in Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport trash can Under Arizona homicide law, first-degree murder is punishable by a prison life sentence or the death penalty. —

Kayla Jackson, The Arizona Republic, 13 Apr. 2024 Ridge was serving a life sentence for two second-degree murder convictions from 2004 until 2019, when a change in California law led to his release from jail. —

Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024 Ethan Crumbley, now 17, is serving a life sentence for murder and other crimes. —

Ed White, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'life sentence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.