A misdemeanor, or misdemeanour, in many common law legal systems,'s a "lesser" criminal act. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions (also known as regulatory offenses). Many misdemeanors are punished with monetary fines. Usually only repeat misdemeanor offenders are punished by actual jail time. It's highly unlikely that a first time misdemeanant will serve any jail time. It's likely that if one's convicted… (More on Misdemeanor)