second-degree murder
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of second-degree murder
An Americanism dating back to 1945–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The officer involved was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to seven years in prison.
From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026
In 2021, a Minnesota jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on a second-degree murder charge in connection with the 2020 in-custody death of George Floyd.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
Earlier this year, Jackson secured an acquittal on second-degree murder charges for Karen Read, who was charged with killing her boyfriend, a Boston police officer.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2025
The second-degree murder charges now facing Mr Gray may be due to specific wording in Georgia law.
From BBC • Sep. 6, 2024
Another Louisiana man, Johnny Lee Ball, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after meeting with a public defender for just eleven minutes before trial.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
