- (formerly) a serious crime, such as murder or arson. All distinctions between felony and misdemeanour were abolished in England and Wales in 1967
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
fel•o•ny /ˈfɛləni/USA pronunciation
n. [countable], pl. -nies.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Lawan offense, such as murder or burglary, of serious character and usually punished by imprisonment for more than one year.
fel•o•ny
(fel′ə nē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -nies. [Law.]
- Lawan offense, as murder or burglary, of graver character than those called misdemeanors, esp. those commonly punished in the U.S. by imprisonment for more than a year.
- Law[Early Eng. Law.]any crime punishable by death or mutilation and forfeiture of lands and goods.
- Anglo-French, Old French: villainy, a felony. See felon1, -y3
- Middle English felonie 1250–1300
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
felony /ˈfɛlənɪ/ n ( pl -nies)
'felony' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
attainder
- bill of attainder
- felon
- felonious
- misdemeanour
- misprision
- piracy
- accessory
- approver
- bribery
- burglary
- compound
- convict
- crime
- felony murder
- loser
- misdemeanor
- offense
- Riot Act