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 Lori Vallow Daybell, 50, was found guilty of murder and other charges against her last summer and is serving a life sentence. —

Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 30 May 2024 Peterson left San Quentin’s Death Row and is now serving a life sentence at Mule Creek State Prison in Amador County. —

Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 26 May 2024 The maximum sentence is 30 years, but the court may impose a life sentence in extreme cases. —

John Bacon, USA TODAY, 21 May 2024 This conviction carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said. —

Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 21 May 2024 The defense sought a probation recommendation, but prosecutors told the jury a life sentence would be appropriate. —

Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2024 Across two decades, The Jinx director has explored the true-crime tale of the New York real estate heir who was suspected of three murders across his life, which ended in 2022 at age 78 not long after a guilty verdict and prison life sentence was handed down in one of those murders. —

Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 May 2024 Christopher Dunn, 52, was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder conviction in the death of Rico Rogers, a 15-year-old who was shot to death in May 1990. —

Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 22 May 2024 Dunn's conviction and life sentence without parole hinged on the testimonies of two witnesses — a preteen and a young teenager — who have since admitted to lying during the trial. —

CBS News, 21 May 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.