Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

misdemeanour

British  
/ ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnə /

noun

  1. criminal law (formerly) an offence generally less heinous than a felony and which until 1967 involved a different form of trial Compare felony

  2. any minor offence or transgression

"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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Misdemeanour, roughly but not exactly, corresponds to the French d�lit, and summary offence to contravention.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 6 "Coucy-le-Château" to "Crocodile" by Various

Lord, Lord, how ye look now, as if you had committed no Misdemeanour: Alas, good Innocent, what canst thou say for thy self, thou Renegado thou, for being false to my Bosom, say?

From The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume III by Summers, Montague

The particular distinctions between these three classes are dealt with under the titles Treason; Felony; Misdemeanour, &c.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 6 "Coucy-le-Château" to "Crocodile" by Various