felony

/ˈfɛləni/

/ˈfɛləni/

Other forms: felonies

A felony is a serious crime, like murder, arson, or burglary. Fashion critics may think that wearing white shoes after Labor Day is a felony, but it isn’t really.

A felony is sometimes called a "high crime" because it's so serious. A felony differs from a misdemeanor in the amount of punishment someone gets when convicted. In the United States, a felony is a crime that has a sentence of more than a year in prison. A year or less in jail means the crime is just a misdemeanor. If you're convicted of a felony, even after you serve your time you may be denied certain rights and privileges.

Definitions of felony

1. noun

   a serious crime (such as murder or arson)
   types:

   capture, seizure

   the act of taking a person by force

   racketeering

   engaging in a racket

   bribery, graft

   the practice of offering something (usually money) in order to gain an illicit advantage

   larceny, stealing, theft, thievery, thieving

   the act of taking something from someone unlawfully

   extortion

   the felonious act of extorting money (as by threats of violence)

   burglary

   entering a building unlawfully with intent to commit a felony or to steal valuable property

   breach of trust with fraudulent intent

   larceny after trust rather than after unlawful taking

   abduction

   the criminal act of capturing and carrying away by force a family member

   kidnapping, snatch

   (law) the unlawful act of capturing and carrying away a person against their will and holding them in false imprisonment

   barratry

   the crime of a judge whose judgment is influenced by bribery

   commercial bribery

   bribery of a purchasing agent in order to induce the agent to enter into a transaction

   defalcation, embezzlement, misapplication, misappropriation, peculation

   the fraudulent appropriation of funds or property entrusted to your care but actually owned by someone else

   pilferage

   the act of stealing small amounts or small articles

   shoplifting, shrinkage

   the act of stealing goods that are on display in a store

   robbery

   larceny by threat of violence

   biopiracy

   biological theft; illegal collection of indigenous plants by corporations who patent them for their own use

   grand larceny, grand theft

   larceny of property having a value greater than some amount (the amount varies by locale)

   petit larceny, petty, petty larceny

   larceny of property having a value less than some amount (the amount varies by locale)

   skimming

   failure to declare income in order to avoid paying taxes on it

   blackmail

   extortion of money by threats to divulge discrediting information

   protection, tribute

   payment extorted by gangsters on threat of violence

   shakedown

   extortion of money (as by blackmail)

   break-in, breaking and entering, housebreaking

   trespassing for an unlawful purpose; illegal entrance into premises with criminal intent

   rustling

   the stealing of cattle

   type of:

   crime, criminal offence, criminal offense, law-breaking, offence, offense

   (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act