felon

1 of 2

noun

fel·​on ˈfe-lən How to pronounce felon (audio)
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 | Crobinson@al.com, 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 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'felon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of felon was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near felon

Cite this Entry

“Felon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/felon. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

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 How to pronounce felon (audio)
: one who has committed a felony
Etymology

Noun

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

More from Merriam-Webster on felon

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