in the first degree
idiom
: of the most serious type : deserving the harshest punishment
She was accused of murder in the first degree.
Examples of in the first degree in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Donald was arrested later that day and charged with burglary, aggravated criminal contempt, criminal contempt in the first degree and possession of a weapon.
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Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 11 Aug. 2025
Morphew was indicted by a grand jury in Colorado on charges of murder in the first degree June 20 after the Mother's Day 2020 disappearance of his wife, Suzanne Morphew, the mother of two daughters.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2025
James Craig, 47, was convicted of first-degree murder, solicitation to commit murder in the first degree, solicitation to commit perjury, and solicitation to commit evidence tampering, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 31 July 2025
He was also convicted on five additional counts: two counts of solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence, two counts of solicitation to commit perjury in the first degree, and one count of solicitation to commit first-degree murder.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2025
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Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 11 Aug. 2025
Morphew was indicted by a grand jury in Colorado on charges of murder in the first degree June 20 after the Mother's Day 2020 disappearance of his wife, Suzanne Morphew, the mother of two daughters.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2025
James Craig, 47, was convicted of first-degree murder, solicitation to commit murder in the first degree, solicitation to commit perjury, and solicitation to commit evidence tampering, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 31 July 2025
He was also convicted on five additional counts: two counts of solicitation to commit tampering with physical evidence, two counts of solicitation to commit perjury in the first degree, and one count of solicitation to commit first-degree murder.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for in the first degree
Cite this Entry
“In the first degree.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20first%20degree. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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