felon

1 of 2

noun

fel·​on ˈfe-lən 

1

: one who has committed a felony

2

archaic : villain

3

: a painful abscess of the deep tissues of the palmar surface of the fingertip that is typically caused by bacterial infection (as with a staphylococcus) and is marked by swelling and pain compare whitlow sense 1

felon

2 of 2

adjective

1

archaic

a

: cruel

b

: evil

2

archaic : wild

Examples of felon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In 2017, Justin was indicted in federal court for being a felon in possession of a gun. —Carol Robinson | [e-mail], al, 11 Sep. 2023

The series follows the lives of felons and their significant others and deals with their relationships while both in prison and after release. —Mike Rose, cleveland, 8 Sep. 2023

The father of a 15-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting a classmate at Lamar High School earlier this year was sentenced Thursday to more than six years in federal prison for possessing firearms as a felon, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas announced. —Jamie Landers, Dallas News, 7 Sep. 2023

And nothing in the Constitution bars felons from assuming the presidency. —Steve Peoples, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2023

Hall also was found guilty of a count of possessing a firearm as a felon. —Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2023

Williams had been on the run for two years after U.S. Attorney Kat Dahl filed federal charges against him in April 2021, accusing him of being a felon in possession of ammunition. —Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 25 Aug. 2023

Giuliani claimed felons and dead people cast ballots. —Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023

Romero, who remains in custody at the the county’s Southwest Detention Center, admitted to five additional charges in the case including possession of drugs while armed and being a felon in possession of a firearm. —Cari Spencer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023

Adjective

And despite a ban on felon possession of weapons, law enforcement searches of his Upper Peninsula home on Jan. 19 turned up a Russian SKS rifle, two shotguns, a Glock pistol and more than 100 rounds of ammunition, prosecutors said. —Washington Post, 28 July 2021

One was to turn most of the felon population over to the U.S. government. —Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2021

Before its passing, Florida had a 150-year ban on felon voting. —Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2020

The state sent the felon memo to the 67 county election supervisors this week, but did not distribute it publicly. —Terry Spencer, Star Tribune, 16 Oct. 2020

Just this week, Florida’s Department of State published guidance on ex-felon voting eligibility. —Rachel Glickhouse, ProPublica, 14 Aug. 2020

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia filed a brief asking an appeals court to rule against the state in its ex-felon voting case. —Rachel Glickhouse, ProPublica, 7 Aug. 2020

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French felun, fel evildoer, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German fillen to beat, whip, fel skin — more at fell

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

felon

noun

fel·​on

ˈfel-ən

: criminal entry 2

especially : one who has committed a felony

Etymology

Noun

Middle English felon "one who has committed a felony," from early French felon "villain, evildoer," of Germanic origin — related to fell entry 3

Medical Definition

felon

noun

fel·​on

: a painful abscess of the deep tissues of the palmar surface of the fingertip that is typically caused by infection of a bacterium (such as Staphylococcus aureus) and is marked by swelling and pain compare paronychia, whitlow sense 1

Legal Definition

felon

noun

fel·​on ˈfe-lən 

: one who has committed a felony

Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French felon, fel, literally, evildoer, from Old French, probably of Germanic origin