felonize

F4E1L1O1N1I1Z10E1
/ˈfɛlənaɪz/

verb

To classify a crime as a felony.

“January 2015 The War on Drugs Is Burning Out Rolling Stone Prop 47 also de-felonized nonviolent theft of less than $950.”

Scrabble 20

Meanings

verbfelonize (third-person singular simple present felonizes, present participle felonizing, simple past and past participle felonized)

present singular third person felonizes · participle present felonizing · participle past felonized · past felonized

  1. To classify a crime as a felony.

    January 2015 The War on Drugs Is Burning Out Rolling Stone Prop 47 also de-felonized nonviolent theft of less than $950.

    2 more examples

    May 2018 Medical Marijuana Not a State Crime on College Campuses, AZ Supreme Court Rules Phoenix New Times That law, pushed by university officials and cannabis prohibitionists, re-felonized marijuana on college campuses for medical patients.

    Big Car has figured out that if it encrypts its diagnostic messages, it can felonize third-party diagnosis of a car, because decrypting the messages violates the DMCA

    2024 March 12, Cory Doctorow, “Your car spies on you and rats you out to insurance companies”, in Pluralistic
  2. To classify a person as a felon.
    1 more example

    June 2018 California Experience Drove Principal to Teach Rio Grande Sun Archuleta tells his most difficult students that they will be principals one day. “They look at me like, ‘Huh? You’re crazy,’” he said. “A lot of me really feels it. Because I’m them. It was fortunate that my activism didn’t get me felonized, because I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.” He believes his life is a credit to Jesus.

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

felonize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/felonize

MLA

“felonize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/felonize. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “felonize,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/felonize.

Source: felonize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.