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felony meaning and examples

2025-09-06

Meaning

A felony is a serious crime, usually punishable by more than one year in prison or by death, depending on the legal system. It is more severe than a misdemeanor and often involves significant harm to people or property.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Noun (countable)

  • Typical structure:

    • commit a felony
    • charged with a felony
    • convicted of a felony
    • felony offense

Common Phrases

  • felony charge – the formal accusation of committing a serious crime
  • felony conviction – a legal decision that someone is guilty of a felony
  • felony record – a permanent record of serious crimes committed
  • felony offense – a crime classified as a felony

Collocations

  • commit a felony
  • charged with a felony
  • convicted of a felony
  • felony assault / felony murder
  • felony case

Examples

  1. He was arrested and charged with a felony after the robbery.
  2. Driving under the influence can become a felony if it causes injury.
  3. A felony conviction may result in losing the right to vote in some states.
  4. The suspect faces multiple felony charges including burglary and assault.
  5. Fraud over a certain amount of money is classified as a felony.
  6. The lawyer argued that it was a misdemeanor, not a felony.
  7. She lost her job after her felony record was discovered.
  • serious crime
  • major offense
  • criminal act
  • misdemeanor (opposite, less serious crime)