stay of execution

noun phrase

: an order that temporarily stops an execution
The court issued a stay of execution.

Examples of stay of execution in a Sentence

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The execution team warden then picks up a telephone inside the death chamber to determine whether Governor Ron DeSantis granted a last-minute stay of execution. Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025 Meanwhile, at the Supreme Court, Justice William O. Douglas (to whom Coover dedicates the novel) is about to grant a stay of execution in the Rosenbergs’ case. Alexander Nazaryan, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024 That court, the same one that issued Tuesday's stay of execution, rejected previous requests for more DNA testing. Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025 Sterling’s loan was starting to feel like a stay of execution for Sterling, but his display against PSV was a strong rebuttal to those who have completely written him off. Jordan Campbell, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stay of execution

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Cite this Entry

“Stay of execution.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stay%20of%20execution. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.

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