Felony means a ‘serious crime’ in some common law nations. Many common law countries have now abolished the felony/misdemeanor distinction and substituted it with other differences, for instance between summary offences and indictable offences. A felony is normally measured a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is not. In the United States, where the felony or misdemeanor distinction is still extensively functional, the federal government outlines a felony as a crime indictable by death or imprisonment in excess of one year.