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
Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Hendrix's sister Tiakayla and a third person, Roy Chambers, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree arson, WHEC reported.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2025
New York Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro dismissed the charges of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism shortly after Mangione appeared in court handcuffed and shackled, wearing tan prison garb.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second-degree
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Adjective
Read, 45, had faced up to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder, the top-level offense charged against her.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Hendrix's sister Tiakayla and a third person, Roy Chambers, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree arson, WHEC reported.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
Katie Ann Williams, 25, pleaded guilty to a second degree battery charge and was sentenced to 48 months in prison, with an additional 60 months suspended, according to court records.
—Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2025
New York Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro dismissed the charges of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism shortly after Mangione appeared in court handcuffed and shackled, wearing tan prison garb.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 16 Sep. 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 19 Sep. 2025.
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