(~s, sentencing, ~d)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a group of words which, when they are written down, begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark. Most ~s contain a subject and a verb.
N-COUNT
2.
In a law court, a ~ is the punishment that a person receives after they have been found guilty of a crime.
They are already serving prison ~s for their part in the assassination...
He was given a four-year ~...
The offences carry a maximum ~ of 10 years.
...demands for tougher ~s...
The court is expected to pass ~ later today.
N-VAR
see also death ~ , life ~ , suspended ~
3.
When a judge ~s someone, he or she states in court what their punishment will be.
A military court ~d him to death in his absence...
He has admitted the charge and will be ~d later.
VERB: V n to n, be V-ed