Examples of word crimes

Other forms: crimes

Something that’s against the law is a crime. If your friend shoplifts clothes from a store, you’ll be disappointed because you know that stealing is a serious crime.

A crime is an illegal act that someone can be legally punished for, like damaging someone’s property. You can also talk about crime more generally to describe something that’s unfair, wrong, and difficult to fix, like the crime of art museums charging high admission prices, making it all but impossible for many families to afford to go often.

Definitions of crime

1. noun

   (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act

   “a long record of
   crimes”

   synonyms:

   criminal offence, criminal offense, law-breaking, offence, offense

   see moresee less

   types:

   show 46 types…

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   barratry

   the offense of vexatiously persisting in inciting lawsuits and quarrels

   capital offense

   a crime so serious that capital punishment is considered appropriate

   cybercrime

   crime committed using a computer and the internet to steal a person’s identity or sell contraband or stalk victims or disrupt operations with malevolent programs

   felony

   a serious crime (such as murder or arson)

   forgery

   criminal falsification by making or altering an instrument with intent to defraud

   fraud

   intentional deception resulting in injury to another person

   Had crime

   (Islam) serious crimes committed by Muslims and punishable by punishments established in the Koran

   highjack, hijack

   seizure of a vehicle in transit either to rob it or divert it to an alternate destination

   mayhem

   the willful and unlawful crippling or mutilation of another person

   infraction, infringement, misdemeanor, misdemeanour, violation

   a crime less serious than a felony

   commission, committal, perpetration

   the act of committing a crime

   attack, attempt

   the act of attacking

   Tazir crime

   (Islam) minor crimes committed by Muslims; crimes that are not mentioned in the Koran so judges are free to punish the offender in any appropriate way

   regulatory offence, regulatory offense, statutory offence, statutory offense

   crimes created by statutes and not by common law

   thuggery

   violent or brutal acts as of thugs

   high treason, lese majesty, treason

   a crime that undermines the offender’s government

   vice crime

   a vice that is illegal

   victimless crime

   an act that is legally a crime but that seem to have no victims

   war crime

   a crime committed in wartime; violation of rules of war

   carjacking

   the violent theft of an occupied car

   harlotry, prostitution, whoredom

   offering sexual intercourse for pay

   assault

   a threatened or attempted physical attack by someone who appears to be able to cause bodily harm if not stopped

   barratry

   (maritime law) a fraudulent breach of duty by the master of a ship that injures the owner of the ship or its cargo; includes every breach of trust such as stealing or sinking or deserting the ship or embezzling the cargo

   breach of the peace, disorderly behavior, disorderly conduct, disturbance of the peace

   any act of molesting, interrupting, hindering, agitating, or arousing from a state of repose or otherwise depriving inhabitants of the peace and quiet to which they are entitled

   false pretence, false pretense

   (law) an offense involving intent to defraud and false representation and obtaining property as a result of that misrepresentation

   indecent exposure, public nudity

   vulgar and offensive nakedness in a public place

   bearing false witness, lying under oath, perjury

   criminal offense of making false statements under oath

   sedition

   an illegal action inciting resistance to lawful authority and tending to cause the disruption or overthrow of the government

   sex crime, sex offense, sexual abuse, sexual assault

   a statutory offense that provides that it is a crime to knowingly cause another person to engage in an unwanted sexual act by force or threat

   bigamy

   the offense of marrying someone while you have a living spouse from whom no valid divorce has occurred

   capture, seizure

   the act of taking of a person by force

   racketeering

   engaging in a racket

   bribery, graft

   the practice of offering something (usually money) in order to gain an illicit advantage

   identity theft

   the co-option of another person’s personal information (e.g., name, Social Security number, credit card number, passport) without that person’s knowledge and the fraudulent use of such knowledge

   mail fraud

   use of the mails to defraud someone

   election fraud

   misrepresentation or alteration of the true results of an election

   constructive fraud, legal fraud

   comprises all acts or omissions or concealments involving breach of equitable or legal duty or trust or confidence

   collateral fraud, extrinsic fraud

   fraud that prevents a party from knowing their rights or from having a fair opportunity of presenting them at trial

   fraud in fact, positive fraud

   actual deceit; concealing something or making a false representation with an evil intent to cause injury to another

   fraud in the factum

   fraud that arises from a disparity between the instrument intended to be executed and the instrument actually executed; e.g., leading someone to sign the wrong contract

   fraud in the inducement

   fraud which intentionally causes a person to execute and instrument or make an agreement or render a judgment; e.g., misleading someone about the true facts

   intrinsic fraud

   fraud (as by use of forged documents or false claims or perjury) that misleads a court or jury and induces a finding for the one perpetrating the fraud

   cheat, rig, swindle

   the act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme

   larceny, stealing, theft, thievery, thieving

   the act of taking something from someone unlawfully

   extortion

   the felonious act of extorting money (as by threats of violence)

   burglary

   entering a building unlawfully with intent to commit a felony or to steal valuable property

   type of:

   evildoing, transgression

   the act of transgressing; the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle

2. noun

   an evil act not necessarily punishable by law

: an illegal act for which someone can be punished by the government

especially

: a gross violation of law

: a grave offense especially against morality

: something reprehensible, foolish, or disgraceful

at that school no offense went unpunished

regarded gambling as a vice

a career ruined by a sex scandal

She paid dearly for her crimes.

evidence that helped them solve the crime

He was punished for a crime that he didn’t commit.

the recent increase in violent crime

Being single is not a crime.

There’s no greater crime than forgetting your anniversary.

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Recent Examples on the Web

This list takes into a consideration a variety of qualities — cost of living, crime data, health care availability, senior housing, activities, transportation, attractions, and activities.


—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2023




Fucci, who pleaded guilty just before his trial was set to start in February, was not eligible for the death penalty because of his young age at the time of the crime.


—Orlando Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2023




Indianapolis police later learned that Blackburn’s death was part of a violent, eight-day crime spree, court documents say.


—Jake Allen, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Mar. 2023




But when Italian crime lord Santino D’Antonio (Scamarcio) calls in an old blood debt, John is forced to become an assassin once again — pitting him against new foes like Cassian (Common), Ares (Rose), and one very psychedelic hall of mirrors.


—Christian Holub, EW.com, 24 Mar. 2023




But John Wick: Chapter 2 pulls him right back in, as an old friend calls in a favor and John is once again thrust into a life of violence and crime.


—Milan Polk, Men’s Health, 24 Mar. 2023




Price and Maroun struggle when their only credible witness is someone awaiting trial for another heinous crime.


—Olivia Mccormack, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2023




But other residents reported in interviews that they were compelled to pay large fees to recover their vehicles even when they had not been convicted of any crime.


—Jessica Jaglois, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Mar. 2023




Sayreville police are asking for anyone with surveillance cameras in the vicinity of the Harbor Club and La Mer developments to share video from between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on the night of the crime.


—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 23 Mar. 2023


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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘crime.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Etymology

Middle English, «wrongdoing, sin,» borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Latin crīmin-, crīmen «accusation, charge, indictment, source of an accusation, misdeed, offense,» probably from crī-, variant stem of cernere «to sift, discern, decide, determine» + -men, resultative noun suffix (probably originally «decision,» then «judicial decision, indictment») — more at certain entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of crime was
in the 14th century