US
: the level of a crime that is the most serious and warranting the most severe punishment
first-de·gree
ˈfərst-di-ˈgrē 
1
US
: of the most serious type : warranting the harshest punishment
first-degree murder/theft/arson
2
: of the least harmful or mildest type
first-degree frostbite
see also first-degree burn
Examples of first degree in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kate Aurthur, Variety, 24 Oct. 2024
Gledhill is facing nine charges including one count of first degree murder, five counts of felony obstruction of justice, one count of tampering with a witness and one count of abuse or desecration of a dead human body, according to court records.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2024
City News Service, Orange County Register, 16 Nov. 2024
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said it was informed Sunday that Hamlett, who had been sought on a first-degree murder warrant, was found and arrested in South Carolina.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024
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Noun
The brothers were convicted by a single jury of first degree murder in March 1996, and sentenced that July to life in prison without parole.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 24 Oct. 2024
Gledhill is facing nine charges including one count of first degree murder, five counts of felony obstruction of justice, one count of tampering with a witness and one count of abuse or desecration of a dead human body, according to court records.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Aryan Vito Smith made an open plea to murder with a sentencing enhancement for using a deadly weapon March 8.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Sheila Hanson ruled Smith committed a first-degree murder after considering more evidence.
—City News Service, Orange County Register, 16 Nov. 2024
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said it was informed Sunday that Hamlett, who had been sought on a first-degree murder warrant, was found and arrested in South Carolina.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for first degree
Dictionary Entries Near first degree
Cite this Entry
“First degree.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/first%20degree. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
first-degree
adjective
: of the lowest or mildest in a series of categories : characterized by or causing the least harmful level of injury
a first-degree laceration
see also first-degree burn compare second-degree, third-degree
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