felony

noun

fel·​o·​ny ˈfe-lə-nē 

plural felonies

1

: an act on the part of a feudal vassal (see vassal sense 1) involving the forfeiture of his fee

2

a

: a grave crime formerly differing from a misdemeanor (see misdemeanor sense 1) under English common law by involving forfeiture in addition to any other punishment

b

: a grave crime (such as murder or rape) declared to be a felony by the common law or by statute regardless of the punishment actually imposed

c

: a crime declared a felony by statute because of the punishment imposed

d

: a crime for which the punishment in federal law may be death or imprisonment for more than one year

Did you know?

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

The crime is considered a felony under state law.

He was convicted of felony murder.

Recent Examples on the Web

In District 4, Cesar Fernandez, a school board trustee, and Rudy Ramirez, a former council member, will face off for the seat vacated by Andrea Cardenas, who has pleaded guilty to felony charges; in the meantime, the council was meeting to appoint a temporary replacement Thursday evening. —Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024

The measure, known as SB4, would empower Texas officials to arrest and jail migrants on misdemeanor or felony charges if they are suspected of crossing in the U.S. without authorization and to order them to return to Mexico. —Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024

Trump is facing charges in three other criminal cases, including felony charges for trying to reverse his 2020 election loss in Georgia, engineering a violent effort to overturn the election results on Jan. 6, 2021, and refusing to return classified documents after leaving office. —Brian Bennett, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024

Jose Fabrizio Sanchez Vazquez faces two felony charges, including lewd conduct with a child under 16, according to online jail and court records. —Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 5 Apr. 2024

He also had been arrested on felony drug charges and gun charges, Nashville police said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. —Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024

She was arraigned in Washington Circuit Court on multiple felony charges, including murder. —Rachel Smith, The Courier-Journal, 2 Apr. 2024

Israel faces felony charges of assault in the second degree and harassment in the second degree. —Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024

The Republic reports that Schaffer’s lawyers also wanted to wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on a felony charge Schaffer had pleaded guilty to, obstructing an official proceeding. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see felon entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

felony

noun

fel·​o·​ny ˈfel-ə-nē 

plural felonies

: a serious crime punishable by a heavy sentence

felonious

fə-ˈlō-nē-əs

adjective

feloniously adverb

Legal Definition

felony

noun

fel·​o·​ny ˈfe-lə-nē 

plural felonies

: a crime that has a greater punishment imposed by statute than that imposed on a misdemeanor

specifically : a federal crime for which the punishment may be death or imprisonment for more than a year see also attainder, treason

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.