felony

American  

[fel-uh-nee] / ˈfɛl ə ni /

noun

Law.

felonies plural

1. 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.

2. Early English Law. any crime punishable by death or mutilation and forfeiture of lands and goods.

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felony British  

/ ˈfɛlənɪ /

noun

1. (formerly) a serious crime, such as murder or arson. All distinctions between felony and misdemeanour were abolished in England and Wales in 1967

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felony Cultural  

1. A grave crime, such as murder, rape, or burglary, that is punishable by death (see capital offense) or imprisonment in a state or federal facility.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• felonies
  plural

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.

Related Words

• arson
• assault
• burglary
• murder
• offense
• rape
• robbery
• violation
• wrongdoing