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felony

(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 p

ˈfɛləniCurrent192 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
1 definition
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Seen in the wild
5 citations · last seen May 2026

Seen in the wild

Definitions

UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK

(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.

First, as felony prosecutor, I prosecute high-level felonies including homicides; sexual assaults; child endangerings; shootings and other felonious assaults; and media cases.
Origin: From , felonie, from , from evildoer. Ultimately of origin. More at felon.. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

Felony means: 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.. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. It comes from prison or criminal-justice contexts; worth knowing what media your teen is consuming.

For ESL learners

felony means: 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. Register: formal, legal English. Standard in its technical domain but rare in everyday talk; gloss with a plain synonym when writing for a general audience. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.

Cluster: food_drink
Heard in the wild
  • “Child pornography case moves forward – The Oakland Press https://www.newsbeep.com/us-ca/300440/ The case against a South Lyon man facing felony charges for allegedly having more than 40,000 images of…”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Florida woman accused of running over, killing baby ducklings https://www.newsbeep.com/us-fl/259321/ JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (CBS12) — A 64-year-old Jacksonville woman is facing multiple felony charges after investigators say she intentionally…”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “A Hanover couple pleaded guilty to felony charges of abusing a care-dependent woman found "fenced" and alone in their basement. Court documents detail a pattern of medical neglect and the misappropriation of the woman's funds.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “CCPD chief: ‘Justice was served for Kayla’ https://www.newsbeep.com/us-fl/259328/ / Stein convicted of first degree felony murder in death…”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Assumption Parish deputies arrested a woman on felony charges after she allegedly struck a deputy with her car door. https://www.wbrz.com/news/deputies-assumption-parish-woman-faces-felony-charges-after-striking-deputy-with-car-door”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers

Felony means: 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.. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. It comes from prison or criminal-justice contexts; worth knowing what media your teen is consuming.

Why is this section here?

Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.

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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang

UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.

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