in flagrante delicto
adverb
in flagrante de·lic·to
ˌin-flə-ˈgrän-tē-di-ˈlik-(ˌ)tō 
-ˈgran-
1
: in the very act of committing a misdeed : red-handed
2
: in the midst of sexual activity
Examples of in flagrante delicto in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Female arthropods of some other species--including, most famously, the praying mantis--also eat their partners in flagrante delicto.
—
Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010
Even if someone could distinguish a leaf insect from its arboreal brethren, there is an almost zero chance the insect would be in the company of its mate, let alone in flagrante delicto.
—New York Times, 1 Dec. 2020
After her phone is hacked, nude photos of her are splashed all over the Web, in flagrante delicto with a man whose cob is visibly not Cob’s.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2020
Its owner, May Mamarbachi, was jailed under Bashar al-Assad for forwarding a cartoon of the dictator in flagrante delicto with the prime minister of Lebanon.
—New York Times, 11 Nov. 2020
Less than six months into his freshman year, Beard would be kicked out of Reed College for being caught in flagrante delicto with a professor.
—Rien Fertel, WSJ, 1 Oct. 2020
In the film’s opening scene, she’s caught in flagrante delicto with that student, by the guy’s fiancée.
—Glenn Kenny, New York Times, 7 May 2020
She is discovered there, more or less in flagrante delicto, by Kevin (Maki Borden), an old schoolmate, now a Dairy Queen employee who is addicted to Dungeons and Dragons and working on a novel about witches.
—Ben Brantley, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2017
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010
Even if someone could distinguish a leaf insect from its arboreal brethren, there is an almost zero chance the insect would be in the company of its mate, let alone in flagrante delicto.
—New York Times, 1 Dec. 2020
After her phone is hacked, nude photos of her are splashed all over the Web, in flagrante delicto with a man whose cob is visibly not Cob’s.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2020
Its owner, May Mamarbachi, was jailed under Bashar al-Assad for forwarding a cartoon of the dictator in flagrante delicto with the prime minister of Lebanon.
—New York Times, 11 Nov. 2020
Less than six months into his freshman year, Beard would be kicked out of Reed College for being caught in flagrante delicto with a professor.
—Rien Fertel, WSJ, 1 Oct. 2020
In the film’s opening scene, she’s caught in flagrante delicto with that student, by the guy’s fiancée.
—Glenn Kenny, New York Times, 7 May 2020
She is discovered there, more or less in flagrante delicto, by Kevin (Maki Borden), an old schoolmate, now a Dairy Queen employee who is addicted to Dungeons and Dragons and working on a novel about witches.
—Ben Brantley, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2017
Dictionary Entries Near in flagrante delicto
Cite this Entry
“In flagrante delicto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20flagrante%20delicto. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share