crime

noun

1
: an illegal act for which someone can be punished by the government
especially : a gross violation of law
2
: a grave offense especially against morality
3
: criminal activity
efforts to fight crime
4
: something reprehensible, foolish, or disgraceful
It's a crime to waste good food.
crimeless adjective
Choose the Right Synonym for crime

offense, sin, vice, crime, scandal mean a transgression of law.

offense applies to the infraction of any law, rule, or code.

at that school no offense went unpunished

sin implies an offense against moral or religious law.

the sin of blasphemy

vice applies to a habit or practice that degrades or corrupts.

regarded gambling as a vice

crime implies a serious offense punishable by the law of the state.

the crime of murder

scandal applies to an offense that outrages the public conscience.

a career ruined by a sex scandal

Examples of crime in a Sentence

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.
Recent Examples on the Web Many experts, including officials with the Police Executive Research Forum, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C., say police chases should only be allowed when a violent crime has been committed and there is an imminent threat to safety. Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2024 Since 2014, a year before Synan helped found the Hamilton County Heroin Coalition (renamed in 2020 the Addiction Response coalition), there have been no murders in Newtown and only eight violent crimes. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 26 Mar. 2024 Soon, Trump-supporting US media was amplifying stories about knife crime in London and mocking the mayor. Peter Guest, WIRED, 26 Mar. 2024 Overall, crime on Philadelphia mass transit has remained relatively steady over the last four years, according to SEPTA. Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024 William Tuckett, 20, was charged with three counts of public mischief and three counts of conveying false information for making false reports of crimes to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, the Sault Ste. Landon Mion, Fox News, 25 Mar. 2024 If there were a Mount Rushmore of true crime, the faces of Erik and Lyle Menendez would certainly be on it. Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024 Based on surveillance video images, police connected the same suspect to all three crimes. Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Students and their families were already worrying about gun crime, anti-Chinese sentiment and the ability to stay on work visas after graduation. Cate Cadell, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024

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.

Word History

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

Dictionary Entries Near crime

Cite this Entry

“Crime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crime. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crime

noun
1
: the doing of an act forbidden by law or the failure to do an act required by law especially when serious
2
: criminal activity
the war on crime
3
: an act that is sinful, foolish, or disgraceful
it's a crime to waste good food

Legal Definition

crime

noun
1
: conduct that is prohibited and has a specific punishment (as incarceration or fine) prescribed by public law compare delict, tort
2
: an offense against public law usually excluding a petty violation see also felony, misdemeanor

Note: Crimes in the common-law tradition were originally defined primarily by judicial decision. For the most part, common-law crimes are now codified. There is a general principle “nullum crimen sine lege,” that there can be no crime without a law. A crime generally consists of both conduct, known as the actus reus, and a concurrent state of mind, known as the mens rea.

3
: criminal activity
Etymology

Middle French, from Latin crimen fault, accusation, crime

More from Merriam-Webster on crime

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