executioner

noun

ex·​e·​cu·​tion·​er ˌek-si-ˈkyü-sh(ə-)nər 

: one who executes

especially : one who puts to death

Examples of executioner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

No longer the beloved Renaissance prince of his youth, Henry was, by his mid-40s, an increasingly infirm and mercurial monarch who had few qualms about sending his closest companions—among them the aforementioned Thomas More—to the executioner’s block. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025

The Mirror and the Light opens with that profoundly disturbing execution, Foy a pale rictus of fear and vulnerability as she is led to the block, where she is blindfolded and positioned before the executioner’s sword. —Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2025

Witnesses will not be able to see the executioners nor learn their names. —Ben Brachfeld, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025

There was Anthony Sanchez in September 2023, whose hands turned blue after the Oklahoma executioner administered the needle. —Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1536, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

executioner

noun

ex·​e·​cu·​tion·​er ˌek-sə-ˈkyü-sh(ə-)nər 

: a person who carries out a sentence of death

Legal Definition

executioner

noun

ex·​e·​cu·​tion·​er ˌek-si-ˈkyü-shə-nər 

: one who puts another to death in fulfillment of a judicial death sentence