noun phrase · formal
capital punishment
/ˈkæpɪtəl ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/CAP·i·tal PUN·ish·ment
The legal punishment of death for certain crimes; also called the death penalty.
Examples
“The country abolished capital punishment in 2005.”
“Debates about capital punishment often involve moral and legal arguments.”
“Human rights groups oppose capital punishment.”
Band 8 sentence
“Public opinion remains divided, but international treaties increasingly push states to abolish capital punishment.”
Collocations
- abolish capital punishment
- support capital punishment
- oppose capital punishment
Word family
Common mistakes
death punishment→capital punishment
to sentence to death penalty→to sentence to death / to impose capital punishment
Say it for a higher band
5death penalty→6death sentence→7+capital punishment
Synonyms
death penalty
Easily confused
life imprisonment
“Many activists prefer life imprisonment to capital punishment.”
Related words
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In Crime & Law
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