(law, criminology, US, historical in UK) A serious criminal offense, which, under United States federal law, is punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than one year or by the death penalty in the most serious offenses.
Used in a Sentence
felony
Definition, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for felony.
Editorial note
My opinion is that severe things like expulsion should only be considered if found guilty of a felony (or even only a violent felony) in an actual court of law.
Examples16
Definitions1
Parts of speech1
Quick take
(law, criminology, US, historical in UK) A serious criminal offense, which, under United States federal law, is punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than one year or by the death penalty in the most serious offenses.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of felony gathered in one view.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for felony.
noun
(law, criminology, US, historical in UK) A serious criminal offense, which, under United States federal law, is punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than one year or by the death penalty in the most serious offenses.
Example sentences
My opinion is that severe things like expulsion should only be considered if found guilty of a felony (or even only a violent felony) in an actual court of law.
Having an affair actually is illegal in almost half the US, and in some states, it's even a felony.
Absent the felony murder theory, you might have to sift through confusing physical evidence and unreliable testimony of self-interested shady characters.
Why does any NYC VC care about a drug charge (unless it was a felony...
Given your felony conviction, and the shitty college rag stories about your arrest, you need to mount simple, positive PR campaign.
Shooting any aircraft out of the sky, at any height, is technically a felony.
Shooting anything out of the sky, at any height, is technically a felony.
His punishment (beating, citing for a felony a being immediately released) is completely consistent with many other cases of people saying the wrong thing.
Sometimes, those of us who are not in denial, are one mistake, at one wild/desperate period in our lives of racking up a felony?
It's absurd that Petraeus wasn't charged with a felony (my understanding is many people in the DoJ wanted him to receive much harsher charges).
I have sat in a court while my father was being tried for a felony.
Adultery is a felony crime in some parts of the US.
Quote examples
Uh, that's a felony for both of us" type thing.
If you're a) engaged in the commission of a felony (sometimes, an enumerated list of "really bad felonies") and b) someone dies with cause proximate to the felony you're committing, you just earned yourself a murder charge, regardless of who pulled the trigger.
[0] The question is if a drone is an aircraft under the law: 18 USC 32; although I'm sure the court might just dismiss the case and require reparation payments at most, in news-fear-mongering-speak "he could be looking at up to 20 years in jail and a felony on his record".
It'll probably turn out that the border guards "followed procedure." But that's exactly the problem that makes the story frightening to us: The path from "long day + non-violent temporary failure of judgement" to "being physically assaulted and facing a life-altering felony charge" seems terribly short.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use felony in a sentence?
My opinion is that severe things like expulsion should only be considered if found guilty of a felony (or even only a violent felony) in an actual court of law.
What does felony mean?
(law, criminology, US, historical in UK) A serious criminal offense, which, under United States federal law, is punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than one year or by the death penalty in the most serious offenses.
What part of speech is felony?
felony is commonly used as noun.