felony

/ˈfeləni/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfeləni/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfe-lə-nē/ (ame, mw)

felony — 名詞

  • felonysingular
  • feloniesplural

1. a major offense, such as armed robbery or murder, that the law treats with priso

1.名詞C1
釋義

重罪

可處一年以上監禁的嚴重犯罪

a major offense, such as armed robbery or murder, that the law treats with prison time of at least one year — much heavier than the punishment for a small offense.

例句

Christopher was charged with a felony after the police found stolen jewellery in his car.

警方在 Christopher 車內找到失竊的珠寶後，他被以重罪起訴。

passive: be charged with a felony

Under Texas law, stealing a car worth more than $2,500 counts as a felony.

依德州法律，偷竊價值超過兩千五百美元的汽車屬於重罪。

collocation: counts as a felony

同義詞
  • crime

    broader umbrella term covering both felonies and lesser offenses

  • offense

    neutral legal label for any law-breaking act, not necessarily serious

  • capital offense

    narrowest — a felony so grave it can carry the death penalty

反義詞
  • misdemeanor

    the lesser counterpart, usually punishable by under one year in jail

  • infraction

    minor violation such as a traffic ticket, no jail time

文法句型

commit a felony

convicted of a felony

charged with a felony

用法筆記

Common in US legal and news contexts; contrasts directly with 'misdemeanor' (a lesser offense). The threshold separating the two is usually one year of possible prison time, and the exact list of crimes varies by state.

常見錯誤

❌He did a felony last year.
✅He committed a felony last year.
💡the standard verb is 'commit', not 'do'.
❌She was arrested for a small felony.
✅She was arrested for a misdemeanor.
💡by definition, no felony is small; minor offenses use a different word.