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In US law, a felony is typically defined as a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than one year or by the death penalty. Misdemeanors, in contrast, are often defined as offenses punishable only by fines or by short terms of imprisonment in local jails. Originally, in English law, a felony was a crime for which the perpetrator would suffer forfeiture of all real and personal property as well as whatever sentence was imposed. Under US law, there is no forfeiture of all of the felon’s property, and it is not part of the definition. For certain crimes, however, such as some kinds of racketeering, specific property is subject to forfeiture.
Examples of felony in a Sentence
Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post, 19 Apr. 2024
Carder pleaded no contest to two felony counts of lewd and lascivious act with a child under the age of 14 in San Luis Obispo County in 1988 and was sentenced to a year in jail and eight years of probation, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024
Trump pleaded not guilty when he was indicted more than a year ago on 34 felony counts of falsification of business records.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 17 Apr. 2024
Jessica Lynn, 39, was charged with two felonies — concealing evidence and filing a false report — as well as one misdemeanor count of petty theft not exceeding $950, the district attorney’s office said in a news release Wednesday.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has hit Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a six-figure hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
—Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
Second time offenders and those with larger amounts of marijuana are felony offenses, and would result in greater jail time and fines, according to NORML.
—Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 17 Apr. 2024
The Supreme Court on Tuesday is hearing arguments in a high-stakes case that could invalidate felony obstruction charges for more than 300 individuals connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack -- including former President Donald Trump.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'felony.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near felony
Cite this Entry
“Felony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/felony. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
felony
noun
Legal Definition
felony
noun
Note: Originally in English law a felony was a crime for which the perpetrator would suffer forfeiture of all real and personal property as well as whatever sentence was imposed. Under U.S. law, there is no forfeiture of all of the felon's property (real or personal) and such forfeiture is not part of the definition of a felony. For certain crimes, however (as for a conviction under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act or a narcotics law), specific property, such as that used in or gained by the crime, is subject to forfeiture. Every state has its own statutory definition of a felony. Most are in line with the federal definition of a felony as a crime which carries a sentence of imprisonment for more than one year or the death penalty (where applicable). Other states, like Louisiana, define a felony as a crime which carries a sentence of death or imprisonment at hard labor.
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