Phrase guide

felony murder rule

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A legal doctrine according to which, regardless of intent, when someone is killed in the commission of a felony, the offender as well as his accomplices and/or co-conspirators are guilty of murder.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: law

Examples

  • The Commonwealth of Kentucky abolished its felony murder rule decades ago, but many other states still have theirs on the books.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.