kənˈdɛm ˌkɒndɛmˈneɪʃən ˌkɑndəmˈneɪʃən kənˈvɪkʃən duːm ˈsɛntəns ˈsɛntəns taɪm tɑem pronounce a sentence on (somebody) in a court of law He was condemned to ten years in prison (criminal law) a final judgment of guilty in a criminal case and the punishment that is imposed the conviction came as no surprise a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language he always spoke in grammatical sentences the period of time a prisoner is imprisoned he served a prison term of 15 months his sentence was 5 to 10 years he is doing time in the county jail