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misdemeanor

American  
[mis-di-mee-ner] / ˌmɪs dɪˈmi nər /
especially British, misdemeanour

noun

  1. Law. a criminal offense defined as less serious than a felony.

  2. an instance of misbehavior; misdeed.

misdemeanor Cultural  

  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.)

Etymology

Origin of misdemeanor

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

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.