in the first degree
idiom
: of the most serious type : deserving the harshest punishment
She was accused of murder in the first degree.
Examples of in the first degree in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged former President Donald Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
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Fox News Staff, Fox News, 31 May 2024
Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsification of business records in the first degree, which is a felony in New York.
—Stefan Becket, CBS News, 31 May 2024
Trump was found guilty of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in the first degree.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 30 May 2024
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
—Brooke Singman, Fox News, 17 May 2024
Juror: We, the jury, find the defendant, Rodney James Alcala, guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 14 May 2024
He is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
—Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 6 May 2024
On July 14, 2021, 21 months after Kristen Trickle's death, Colby Trickle was charged with murder in the first degree and interfering with law enforcement.
—Iris Carreras, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2024
All four suspects were booked into the Texas County Jail on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, the OSBI said.
—USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
Fox News Staff, Fox News, 31 May 2024
Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsification of business records in the first degree, which is a felony in New York.
—Stefan Becket, CBS News, 31 May 2024
Trump was found guilty of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in the first degree.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 30 May 2024
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
—Brooke Singman, Fox News, 17 May 2024
Juror: We, the jury, find the defendant, Rodney James Alcala, guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 14 May 2024
He is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
—Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 6 May 2024
On July 14, 2021, 21 months after Kristen Trickle's death, Colby Trickle was charged with murder in the first degree and interfering with law enforcement.
—Iris Carreras, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2024
All four suspects were booked into the Texas County Jail on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, the OSBI said.
—USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in the first degree.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near in the first degree
Cite this Entry
“In the first degree.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20first%20degree. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.
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