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
Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2025
His wife has now been charged with first degree murder and felony concealing an unnatural death.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2025
William Morris, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Now, Christina Adams, 33, has been sentenced to life in prison after she was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, the State Attorney’s Office for the Fifth Judicial Circuit said April 17.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for first degree
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Noun
Thorn will be extradited to Baltimore and will be charged with first degree murder, according to the release.
—Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2025
His wife has now been charged with first degree murder and felony concealing an unnatural death.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Polk County prosecutors argued otherwise, and proved their case to the satisfaction of a jury, which convicted Johnson on April 9 of first-degree murder for Loffredo's death.
—William Morris, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Now, Christina Adams, 33, has been sentenced to life in prison after she was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, the State Attorney’s Office for the Fifth Judicial Circuit said April 17.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for first degree
Cite this Entry
“First degree.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/first%20degree. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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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