life imprisonment

British

noun

(in Britain) an indeterminate sentence always given for murder and as a maximum sentence in several other crimes. There is no remission, although the Home Secretary may order the prisoner's release on licence

"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

Example Sentences

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Misconduct in public office is defined by the British Crown Prosecution Service as the “serious wilful abuse or neglect of the power or responsibilities of the public office” and can result in life imprisonment.

From The Wall Street Journal

This level of complexity means that if someone is convicted, each case is sentenced differently, even though in theory the maximum is life imprisonment.

From BBC

If convicted of misconduct in public office, Mountbatten-Windsor could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

From Salon

South Korea has not executed anyone on death row since December 1997, so even a death penalty for Yoon would, in effect, be life imprisonment.

From BBC

His penalty of life imprisonment without parole was the stiffest in New Zealand history.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023