as in crimes
law
a criminal act that is less serious than a felony
He was charged with committing a misdemeanor. a misdemeanor traffic violation
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Recent Examples of misdemeanors
The charges cited in the complaint are misdemeanors, which carry less serious penalties than felonies.
—
Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
Perhaps the saddest was the case of a Garden Grove gas station owner who was convicted of misdemeanors for illegally giving customers preferential treatment.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Four other teens were charged with misdemeanors.
—Jamal Goss, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
Court records show Austin has previously been convicted of second-degree property damage in Liberty and first-degree trespassing in Kansas City, both class B misdemeanors in Missouri.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
Davis has nine previous felony convictions as well as two misdemeanors, related to theft, welfare fraud, forgery, possession of cocaine, prostitution and other charges, Bosner said.
—Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
Now, locally, the district attorney has charged Sheriff Smith with several misdemeanors for hiring unqualified people, not the people who were involved in Tony Mitchell's death, but other people, some of them school resource officers.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
The 18-year-old driver of the pickup was arrested on a felony charge of vehicular homicide, and four other teens were charged with misdemeanors.
—Charlotte Kramon, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Ramirez was sentenced to four years’ probation on each of the felony charges and a year probation on each of the misdemeanors, all probation clocks running concurrently.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
Perhaps the saddest was the case of a Garden Grove gas station owner who was convicted of misdemeanors for illegally giving customers preferential treatment.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Four other teens were charged with misdemeanors.
—Jamal Goss, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
Court records show Austin has previously been convicted of second-degree property damage in Liberty and first-degree trespassing in Kansas City, both class B misdemeanors in Missouri.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
Davis has nine previous felony convictions as well as two misdemeanors, related to theft, welfare fraud, forgery, possession of cocaine, prostitution and other charges, Bosner said.
—Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
Now, locally, the district attorney has charged Sheriff Smith with several misdemeanors for hiring unqualified people, not the people who were involved in Tony Mitchell's death, but other people, some of them school resource officers.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026
The 18-year-old driver of the pickup was arrested on a felony charge of vehicular homicide, and four other teens were charged with misdemeanors.
—Charlotte Kramon, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Ramirez was sentenced to four years’ probation on each of the felony charges and a year probation on each of the misdemeanors, all probation clocks running concurrently.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misdemeanors
Noun
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Actresses of a certain age are henceforth barred from investigating crimes on TV.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
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But opposition leaders have described the proposal as an effort to erase the crimes committed in the prison, where inmates were often isolated for months at a time, and tortured by agents seeking information on the activities of opposition activists.—
Manuel Rueda,
NPR,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Most restaurants correct violations at the time of the original inspection or shortly after.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
20 Mar. 2026
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Supply chain due diligence should also address wage violations, unsafe workplaces, restrictions on workers’ freedom of association and environmental harms.—
Anna Bryher,
Sourcing Journal,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The pattern of trespasses at Mar-a-Lago culminated in a dramatic security incident on Sunday, when an armed man carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can breached the perimeter.—
WPEC Staff,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Feb. 2026
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These seem like minor trespasses, but when no one feels comfortable telling the truth, the influence such behavior has on the 12-year-old Janna becomes concerning.—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
5 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Misdemeanors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misdemeanors. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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