electric chair


noun

a chair used to electrocute criminals sentenced to death.
the penalty of legal electrocution.

Origin of electric chair

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Example sentences from the Web for electric chair

  • He broke off, with a wave of his hand toward the man who had just sentenced himself to death in the electric-chair.

    Within the Law |Marvin Dana

British Dictionary definitions for electric chair

electric chair

noun (in the US)

  1. an electrified chair for executing criminals
  2. the electric chair execution by this method