felony
Americannoun
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an offense, as murder or burglary, of graver character than those called misdemeanors, especially those commonly punished in the U.S. by imprisonment for more than a year.
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Early English Law. any crime punishable by death or mutilation and forfeiture of lands and goods.
noun
Etymology
Origin of felony
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English felonie, from Anglo-French, Old French: “villainy”; equivalent to felon 1 + -y 3
Explanation
A felony is a serious crime, like murder, arson, or burglary. Fashion critics may think that wearing white shoes after Labor Day is a felony, but it isn’t really. A felony is sometimes called a "high crime" because it's so serious. A felony differs from a misdemeanor in the amount of punishment someone gets when convicted. In the United States, a felony is a crime that has a sentence of more than a year in prison. A year or less in jail means the crime is just a misdemeanor. If you're convicted of a felony, even after you serve your time you may be denied certain rights and privileges.
Vocabulary lists containing felony
Monster
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Vocabulary from The Articles of Confederation
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Speak
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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.
Christian Castro, 52, faces four felony charges of assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty said at a televised press conference.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
But in January 1977, after four days of testimony and 3½ hours of deliberations, Longet was acquitted of the felony charge and convicted of a misdemeanor charge of negligent homicide.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
Eileen Wang, 58 - the mayor of Arcadia - agreed to plead guilty to the felony count and Arcadia City Council said she resigned from her post on Monday.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
Just this past week, Hsiung’s profile grew when a California appeals court reversed his 2023 felony conviction for helping to take 37 hens from an egg farm.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
In Lake Charles, Louisiana, the public defender office has only two investigators for the 2,500 new felony cases and 4,000 new misdemeanor cases assigned to the office each year.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
