sec·ond-degree
ˈse-kən(d)-di-ˈgrē 
-kᵊŋ-
1
US, of a crime
: of a level of seriousness that is less than first degree : warranting punishment but not the most severe punishment
second-degree assault/murder
2
: causing or characterized by a moderate level of injury
a second-degree concussion
see also second-degree burn
US
: the level of a crime that is less than first degree and warrants less severe punishment
He was charged with assault in the second degree.
Examples of second-degree in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 June 2025
She has been charged with second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 7 June 2025
Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 4 June 2025
Read is charged with second degree murder, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence and leaving a scene of personal injury and death.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-degree
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
McRoy was taken into custody on Friday and charged with reckless driving, first-degree reckless endangerment, failure to maintain lane, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and second-degree assault with a motor vehicle.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 June 2025
She has been charged with second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 7 June 2025
Noun
But if the jurors in this case can get over that discomfort, Karen Read could soon be doing a mandatory 20 years for second degree murder.
—Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 4 June 2025
Read is charged with second degree murder, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence and leaving a scene of personal injury and death.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-degree
Cite this Entry
“Second-degree.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second-degree. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share