Meaning & use
the fourth degree
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Meanings
phrasefixed phraselegalAmerican
In some US states, the least serious category of murder, usually involving recklessness or a killing during another crime rather than clear intent to kill.
Grammar: Used mainly after 'murder in' or before 'murder': charged with murder in the fourth degree.
Patterns
- murder in the fourth degree
- fourth-degree murder
- charged with the fourth degree
The driver was charged with murder in the fourth degree after the crash killed two people.
In that state, the fourth degree is the lowest murder charge and carries a shorter sentence.
Her lawyer argued that the evidence supported manslaughter, not murder in the fourth degree.
phrasefixed phrasemedical
A very severe level or extent of something, especially a burn that damages deep tissue.
Grammar: Often used in medical descriptions of burns: a fourth-degree burn.
Patterns
- a fourth-degree burn
- burns to the fourth degree
The firefighters suffered fourth-degree burns and needed months of treatment.
Doctors classify the deepest burns as fourth degree because they reach the muscle and bone.
Common combinations
- murder in the fourth degree
- He was convicted of murder in the fourth degree and sentenced to fifteen years.
- fourth-degree murder
- The prosecutor reduced the charge to fourth-degree murder as part of a plea deal.
- a fourth-degree burn
- The paramedics treated the worker for a fourth-degree burn on his arm.
- charge someone with the fourth degree
- The grand jury decided to charge her with the fourth degree rather than first-degree murder.
- the fourth degree of something
- The damage was described as the fourth degree of severity on the hospital's scale.
Synonyms and how they differ
- manslaughter
- Manslaughter is a separate, often less serious charge than murder; fourth-degree murder still counts as murder in states that use the category.
- third-degree murder
- Third-degree murder is a more serious category than the fourth degree and usually requires a higher level of intent.
Word family
- fourth-degree adjective
- Used before a noun to describe something at the fourth level, as in 'fourth-degree burns'.
Commonly confused: the fourth degree or first degree? the fourth degree or the third degree?
the fourth degree vs first degree
First-degree murder is the most serious murder charge, involving planning and intent, while the fourth degree is the least serious.
the fourth degree vs the third degree
Informally, 'the third degree' means harsh questioning, not a legal charge; do not confuse it with the fourth degree.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'the fourth degree' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Murder in the fourth degree' is the standard legal phrase for the least serious murder category. Option A confuses it with 'the third degree' (harsh questioning), option C confuses it with an academic degree, and option D treats it as a temperature reading, which is not a normal use.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the fourth degree”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.