Definition

1. Noun:
   • A sentence of imprisonment until death: A legal punishment where a convicted person is ordered to remain in prison for the entirety of their natural life, without the possibility of parole or release.

Usage

• This term is used in legal and criminal justice contexts to describe the most severe form of custodial sentence, short of the death penalty.
• It functions as a countable noun (e.g., , ).

Examples

• Noun:
  • The judge handed down a sentence of life imprisonment for the brutal crime.
  • In some jurisdictions, life imprisonment is the mandatory penalty for murder.

Advanced Usage

• "To be sentenced to life imprisonment": This is the most common construction for stating the punishment given.
  • The defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
• "To serve life imprisonment": Used to describe the act of undergoing this punishment.
  • He is serving life imprisonment in a maximum-security facility.

Variants and Related Words

• Life sentence (n): A common synonym for life imprisonment.
  • He received a life sentence.
• LWOP (n): An acronym for "Life Without Parole," a specific type of life imprisonment.
  • The jury recommended LWOP instead of the death penalty.

Synonyms

• Life sentence: A term often used interchangeably with life imprisonment.
• Incarceration for life: A more formal descriptive phrase.

Related Phrases

• "To be given life": An informal way of saying "to be given a life sentence."
  • The killer was given life for his actions.
• "A life term": Another way to refer to a sentence of life imprisonment.
  • The court imposed a life term.

Noun

1. a sentence of imprisonment until death