Felony
noun
Definition
1. (noun) A serious crime such as murder, robbery, or assault — the kind that is usually punished by more than one year in prison, especially in US law.
2. (noun, informal) Something that is treated as outrageous or very wrong, used in a joking or exaggerated way — not an actual crime.
2. (noun, informal) Something that is treated as outrageous or very wrong, used in a joking or exaggerated way — not an actual crime.
Context Alive
You're watching a crime drama with your roommate on a Friday night, takeaway boxes on the coffee table. The lawyer on screen is explaining that the defendant has been charged with a felony — armed robbery of a small shop. Your roommate pauses the show and asks what that actually means. You explain it's a really serious crime, the kind that can send someone to prison for many years, not just a small fine. The show starts again and the courtroom goes quiet as the judge walks in.
Meanings
2 meanings
1
A Serious Crime (Noun)
Very Common
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This meaning is about the most serious category of crime in the legal system — the kind that usually sends someone to prison for more than one year. Imagine a news anchor on TV reporting that a man was arrested and charged with a felony after robbing a convenience store at gunpoint. This is describing the type of crime courts treat as major — murder, armed robbery, assault, burglary, or large-scale fraud. You might hear "he was convicted of a felony" on a legal drama, or someone could say "that's a felony offence" about a crime that's much more than a small mistake. Or picture a courtroom scene where a judge calmly tells the defendant he is facing multiple felony charges. The word suggests the crime is serious, the punishment is heavy, and a person's future could change forever.
✏️ Felony is mostly used in American English legal contexts — in the UK, people say indictable offence or serious crime. The opposite category is misdemeanour, which covers minor crimes. In films and TV you'll often hear "felony charges" or convicted felon (the noun for a person with a felony record).
2
Something Outrageous (Noun, Informal Humour)
Less Common
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This meaning is about using the word as a joke — calling something that isn't actually a crime a 'felony' because it feels so wrong to you. Imagine a chef sees a customer pour ketchup all over an expensive steak — they jokingly say putting sauce on steak like that should be a felony. This is describing a lighthearted, exaggerated way of showing strong disapproval. You might say "wearing socks with sandals is practically a felony" as a joke, or someone could say "that haircut should be a felony" to tease a friend. Or picture a group of Italians watching a tourist add cream to their pasta — they laugh and say that's a full-on felony in Italy. The word suggests strong, playful outrage — clearly exaggerated and not to be taken seriously.
✏️ This humorous usage is informal and always exaggerated. It works best when reacting to food choices, fashion mistakes, or small cultural habits. Everyone hearing it understands you don't really mean it — it's just playful outrage for comic effect.
Common Patterns
Basic Structures
commit a felony → the standard way to describe doing a serious crime
He committed a felony when he broke into the shop.
charged with a felony → when the police officially accuse someone
She was charged with a felony after the accident.
convicted of a felony → found guilty in court
He was convicted of a felony and sent to prison for five years.
Common Structures
felony + noun (charges / offence / conviction) → used as a noun modifier
She's facing multiple felony charges after last night's incident.
a serious / violent felony → adjective + felony to describe the severity
Armed robbery is considered a serious felony in every state.
be a felony / should be a felony → predicate pattern — often used humorously
Adding pineapple to pizza should be a felony.
Collocations
10 collocationscommit a felony
to do an act that counts as a serious crime
charged with a felony
officially accused of a serious crime
convicted of a felony
found guilty of a serious crime in court
felony charges
formal legal accusations for serious crimes
felony conviction
a court's decision that someone is guilty of a felony
felony offence
a crime that falls into the serious category
violent felony
a serious crime involving physical harm
drug felony
a serious drug-related crime
felony record
an official history of serious crimes
first-degree felony
the most serious level of felony crime
Example Sentences
10 examples
1
He was charged with a felony after the police found stolen goods in his flat.
He faced serious criminal charges when officers discovered stolen items at his apartment.
2
Armed robbery is considered a felony in every US state.
Robbery involving a weapon counts as a major crime across all American states.
3
A felony conviction can make it much harder to find a job afterwards.
Being found guilty of a serious crime can seriously damage your future employment chances.
4
She was convicted of a felony and sentenced to three years in prison.
She was found guilty of a serious crime and given a three-year prison sentence.
5
Driving under the influence can become a felony if someone gets hurt.
A drink-driving charge can turn into a major crime if another person is injured.
6
The suspect is now facing multiple felony charges from last month's robbery.
The suspect now has several serious criminal accusations from the robbery in the previous month.
7
Assault with a weapon is always treated as a felony by the courts.
Attacking someone with a weapon is always dealt with as a serious crime in court.
8
He has a felony on his record, which is why the background check failed.
His background check failed because he has a serious crime in his history.
9
Adding ketchup to a proper steak should be a felony, my uncle always jokes.
My uncle jokes that pouring ketchup onto a good steak ought to be against the law.
10
The lawyer explained the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony to the students.
The attorney outlined for the students how minor and serious crimes differ.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymsserious crime
plain description without the legal-sounding word
offence
more general — covers both minor and major crimes
indictable offence
British legal term for the same category of crime
Antonymsmisdemeanour
the direct legal opposite — a minor crime with lighter punishment
minor offence
a small wrongdoing that usually brings only a fine
infraction
a very small rule violation, often just a ticket