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View synonyms for

firing squad

noun

  1. a military detachment assigned to execute a condemned person by shooting.
  2. a military detachment assigned to fire a salute at the burial of a person being honored.


firing squad

noun

  1. a small military detachment formed to implement a death sentence by shooting
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of firing squad1

First recorded in 1900–05
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He had requested death by firing squad over the other two state-approved methods of execution: electric chair and lethal injection.

From

On the 17 January Lumumba was assassinated by firing squad, with the tacit backing of Belgium.

From

With such a strong leader, the Democratic Party would now have its marching orders instead of being lost and slowly forming a circular firing squad.

From

A woman from the Philippines who spent almost 15 years on death row in Indonesia and was nearly executed by firing squad is on her way home.

From

In Syria's case that could mean the gallows, or a firing squad, or indefinite incarceration in some underground cell.

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