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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

felon

/ˈfɛlən/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does felon mean?

adjective

  1. Of a person or animal, their actions, thoughts, etc.: brutal, cruel, harsh, heartless; also, evil, wicked.
  2. Of a place: harsh, savage, wild; of a thing: deadly; harmful.

noun

  1. A person who has committed a felony (“a serious criminal offence”); specifically, one who has been tried and convicted of such a crime.
More meanings (5)

noun

  1. A small infected sore; an abscess, a boil.
  2. A whitlow (“infection near or under a fingernail or toenail”).
  3. (obsolete) An evil or wicked person.
  4. (obsolete) A predatory animal regarded as cruel or wicked.

adjective

  1. (obsolete, rare) Obtained through a felony; stolen.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈfɛlən/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

Thus branded as a felon by myself, How had I dared to look you in the face?
SophoclesPlays of Sophocles: Oedipus the King; Oedipus at Colonus; AntigoneTranslated by Francis StorrProject Gutenberg ebook #31
A very hang- dog face— a felon face— a face to fright the headsman himself, and make him strike awry.
Arthur Sullivan; W. S. (William Schwenck) GilbertThe Complete Plays of Gilbert and SullivanProject Gutenberg ebook #808
More book examples (3)
The law was therefore allowed to take its course, and the victim of a false spirit of honour died the death of a felon.
Charles MackayMemoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions — Volume 1Project Gutenberg ebook #636
He called yesterday to lance a felon on Sammy Speir's thumb, then ascended to my electric-blue parlor to give instructions as to the dressing of thumbs.
Jean WebsterDear EnemyProject Gutenberg ebook #238
Why prosecute the man or woman Who steals a goose from off the common, And let the greater felon loose Who steals the common from the goose?
Upton SinclairThe Profits of Religion: An Essay in Economic InterpretationProject Gutenberg ebook #1558