Topic: LAW
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death sentence [countable]
1SCL the official punishment of death, ordered by a judge :
2 something such as an illness that makes you sure you will die : 
Cancer is no longer a death sentence.
Cancer is no longer a death sentence.3 an action or decision that is very harmful to someone or something : In 1987, the government passed a death sentence on the river by granting permission for the new dam.
In 1987, the government passed a death sentence on the river by granting permission for the new dam.