death-warrant

The judge signed the death-warrant.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Official execution order: A "death-warrant" is a legal document authorizing the execution of a person sentenced to death.
   • Figurative end: It can also refer to something that causes the end or destruction of a custom, institution, or practice.

Usage Examples

• Literal:

  • The judge signed the death-warrant for the convicted murderer. (The official order for execution was issued.)

• Figurative:

  • The invention of the smartphone was the death-warrant for the traditional landline phone. (The smartphone caused the decline and end of the landline phone.)

Advanced Usage

• "to sign one's own death-warrant": to do something that will cause one's own downfall or ruin.

  • By ignoring the safety regulations, the company signed its own death-warrant. (The company caused its own destruction through negligence.)

• "a death-warrant for something": a decisive factor that ends something.

  • The lack of funding was a death-warrant for the community arts program. (The funding shortage ended the program.)

Variants and Related Words

• Death-warrant (n): only used as a single compound noun; no direct verb or adjective forms exist. Related:
  • Death sentence (n): the judicial punishment of death, separate from the warrant that enforces it.

    • He received a death sentence for his crimes. (The court condemned him to death.)

Synonyms

• Execution order: the official command to carry out a death penalty.
• Kill order: a less formal term for a command to kill.
• Coup de grâce: a final blow or event that ends something (figurative use).

Related Idioms

• "to issue a death-warrant for": to officially end something.

  • The new law issued a death-warrant for the old tax system. (The law abolished the old system.)

• "the death-warrant of an era": something that marks the end of a period or tradition.

  • The rise of digital music was the death-warrant of the vinyl record era. (Digital music ended the dominance of vinyl records.)