criminalize

verb

crim·​i·​nal·​ize ˈkri-mə-nə-ˌlīz 

ˈkrim-nə-ˌlīz

criminalized; criminalizing

transitive verb

: to make illegal

also : to turn into a criminal or treat as criminal

criminalization

ˌkri-mə-nə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

ˌkrim-nə-lə-ˈzā-

noun

Synonyms of criminalize

• outlaw
• ban

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

Many freedoms Americans take for granted— like education, art, association, speech— are criminalized or tightly controlled in Iran. —Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 23 Jan. 2026

And can the federal government criminalize the possession of firearms by a habitual drug user? —Morgan Marietta, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2026

Sacramento County was under a Stage 1 burning restriction from the metro air district Thursday, which criminalizes burning wood fires in most cases. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 15 Jan. 2026

The United Kingdom plans to bring into force a law that criminalizes the creation of non-consensual sexualized images, including through Grok, the chatbot within Elon Musk’s X application, following the app’s deepfake scandal of the last few weeks. —Rebecca Schneid, Time, 13 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

criminal entry 1 + -ize

First Known Use

circa 1956, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for criminalize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• decentralize
• democratize

Legal 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

criminalization

ˌkri-mə-nə-lə-ˈzā-shən, -ˌlī- 

noun