criminalize
verb
crim·i·nal·ize
ˈkri-mə-nə-ˌlīz 
ˈkrim-nə-ˌlīz
criminalized; criminalizing
: to make illegal
also
: to turn into a criminal or treat as criminal
Examples of criminalize in a Sentence
a law that criminalized alcohol
wanted to criminalize an activity that the mountaineers had been engaging in for generations
Recent Examples on the Web
To be clear, the City Council’s safe access proposal does not ban protests, create new crimes, or criminalize peaceful expression.
—
Joseph Potasnik, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Possession of cannabis for personal use is criminalized and can result in a prison sentence of between three months and two years, or a fine.
—ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026
Kwok Yin-sang's case also shows authorities' willingness to utilize their full arsenal of punitive national security legislation to criminalize a wider swath of Hong Kong's population, according to Eric Lai, a senior fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law.
—Shibani Mahtani, NPR, 26 Feb. 2026
Opponents countered that the bill was duplicative of those prior efforts but might cast an even wider net to criminalize people unnecessarily.
—The Denver Post, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
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.
Joseph Potasnik, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Possession of cannabis for personal use is criminalized and can result in a prison sentence of between three months and two years, or a fine.
—ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026
Kwok Yin-sang's case also shows authorities' willingness to utilize their full arsenal of punitive national security legislation to criminalize a wider swath of Hong Kong's population, according to Eric Lai, a senior fellow at the Georgetown Center for Asian Law.
—Shibani Mahtani, NPR, 26 Feb. 2026
Opponents countered that the bill was duplicative of those prior efforts but might cast an even wider net to criminalize people unnecessarily.
—The Denver Post, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
Cite this Entry
“Criminalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criminalize. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
criminalize
transitive verb
crim·i·nal·ize
ˈkri-mə-nə-ˌlīz
criminalized; criminalizing
: to make criminal : outlaw
the statute criminalizing the use of contraceptives—R. H. Bork
compare illegalize
R. H. BorkLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
