sec·ond-degree
ˈse-kən(d)-di-ˈgrē 
-kᵊŋ-
1
US, of a crime
: of a level of seriousness that is less than first degree : warranting punishment but not the most severe punishment
second-degree assault/murder
2
: causing or characterized by a moderate level of injury
a second-degree concussion
see also second-degree burn
US
: the level of a crime that is less than first degree and warrants less severe punishment
He was charged with assault in the second degree.
Examples of second-degree in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 6 June 2026
Donel Mark Geisen was accused of second-degree murder with the use of a knife and felony domestic violence for the 2025 killing, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office said.
—Bay City News, Mercury News, 6 June 2026
Todd Prussman, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026
While Kenneth Law is set to admit to 14 charges of aiding or counseling suicide, Canadian prosecutors are withdrawing second degree murder charges, multiple sources have confirmed, causing anger among devastated families.
—CBS News, 27 May 2026
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Adjective
On March 5, a Tolland Superior Court jury found Lange guilty of second-degree kidnapping, felony murder, and tampering with evidence, the DCJ said.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 6 June 2026
Donel Mark Geisen was accused of second-degree murder with the use of a knife and felony domestic violence for the 2025 killing, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office said.
—Bay City News, Mercury News, 6 June 2026
Noun
Read was tried twice and ultimately acquitted on charges of second degree murder and manslaughter in connection with O’Keefe’s death.
—Todd Prussman, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026
While Kenneth Law is set to admit to 14 charges of aiding or counseling suicide, Canadian prosecutors are withdrawing second degree murder charges, multiple sources have confirmed, causing anger among devastated families.
—CBS News, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for second-degree
Cite this Entry
“Second-degree.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second-degree. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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