as in to outlaw
to make or declare contrary to the law
wanted to criminalize an activity that the mountaineers had been engaging in for generations
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Recent Examples of criminalize
This is incredibly dangerous for people of color, who are often criminalized and seen as a threat.
—
Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Governments that criminalize opposition rarely stop at the margins.
—Jason M. Blazakis, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025
It’s often used to criminalize us, dehumanize us.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
For people of color and for vulnerable communities, it’s used to criminalize us.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Governments that criminalize opposition rarely stop at the margins.
—Jason M. Blazakis, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025
It’s often used to criminalize us, dehumanize us.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
For people of color and for vulnerable communities, it’s used to criminalize us.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminalize
Verb
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As executive secretary of Florida’s NAACP, Moore helped the organization grow to 63 branches and 10,000 members, and register 116,000 voters — 31% of Black voting-age Floridians — in the six years after the Supreme Court’s 1944 decision outlawing white primaries.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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The president also argued that Republicans could pass legislation around election laws, including outlawing transgender women from competing in women’s sports and protecting gun laws.—
Brett Samuels,
The Hill,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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There is a reason that Rice, who first renounced then rejoined her faith, often found her books banned.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Nov. 2025
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Our findings help explain why a growing number of companies have rules restricting or banning relationships across reporting lines.—
Emily Nix,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Criminalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalize. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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