misdemeanor

[ mis-di-mee-ner ]

noun

1. Law. a criminal offense defined as less serious than a felony.
2. an instance of misbehavior; misdeed.

misdemeanor

1. A minor crime, punishable by a fine or a light jail term. Common misdemeanors, such as traffic violations, are usually dealt with informally, without a trial. ( Compare felony .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of misdemeanor¹

First recorded in 1480–90; mis- ¹ + demeanor

Example Sentences

It would also mandate DNA collection for certain misdemeanor offenses, including theft and drug offenses.

From Voice of San Diego

People still remain on the injunctions today without so much as a misdemeanor.

From Voice of San Diego

State law already prohibits officers with felony convictions from serving, but many plead down to misdemeanors with the consent of prosecutors.

From Voice of San Diego

Then, on July 14, Watkins was charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor for voting from an address where he does not live.

From FiveThirtyEight

All the violations are misdemeanors and each day the violations continued constitutes a new and separate offense.

From Voice of San Diego

Uber severed ties with him, and on Monday he was charged with misdemeanor vehicular homicide.

From The Daily Beast

Freundel was charged with six counts of voyeurism, a misdemeanor, and has surrendered his passport while awaiting trial.

From The Daily Beast

According to the Montgomery Police Department, transmitting a sexually transmitted disease is a class C misdemeanor.

From The Daily Beast

ARS identified what it called the “stalker gap,” where people convicted of stalking as a misdemeanor can still carry guns.

From The Daily Beast

Add to that a batch of misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges and a few felony drug raps, and it was time to move.

From The Daily Beast

The judge reserved the case till he could determine whether the crime was felony or only a misdemeanor.

From Project Gutenberg

Let the child early learn that good wholesome play in the open is better than secretive misdemeanor behind closed doors.

From Project Gutenberg

It would be just as easy for the Judge to make out divers other crimes from my words, as to construct a misdemeanor therefrom.

From Project Gutenberg

How easily could Scroggs make a "misdemeanor," or "a seditious libel," out of that question!

From Project Gutenberg

On the 1st of December the Whig Aldermen were arrested for misdemeanor in neglecting to perform their duty.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• offense
• transgression
• violation