sentence
verb/ˈsentəns/
/ˈsentəns/
[often passive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they sentence | /ˈsentəns/ /ˈsentəns/ |
| he / she / it sentences | /ˈsentənsɪz/ /ˈsentənsɪz/ |
| past simple sentenced | /ˈsentənst/ /ˈsentənst/ |
| past participle sentenced | /ˈsentənst/ /ˈsentənst/ |
| -ing form sentencing | /ˈsentənsɪŋ/ /ˈsentənsɪŋ/ |
- to say officially in court that somebody is to receive a particular punishment
- sentence somebody to something He sentenced the defendant to life in prison.
- to be sentenced to death/life imprisonment
- He was convicted and sentenced to a four-year jail term.
- sentence somebody to do something The judge sentenced him to hang.
- The court sentenced him to serve nine months for the assault.
- She was sentenced to do 30 hours of community service.
- sentence somebody for something The same judge had previously sentenced him for burglary.
- sentence somebody to something for something A court sentenced them to nine-year jail terms for fraud and tax evasion.
- sentence somebody It was argued that judges should have discretion in sentencing first-time offenders.
Extra ExamplesTopics Crime and punishmentb2, Law and justiceb2- The judge sentenced her to life imprisonment.
- They had been sentenced for murder.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- hereby
- in absentia
- for
- to
Word OriginMiddle English (in the senses ‘way of thinking, opinion’, ‘court's declaration of punishment’, and ‘gist (of a piece of writing)’): via Old French from Latin sententia ‘opinion’, from sentire ‘feel, be of the opinion’.Definitions on the go
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