criminal law

noun

: the law of crimes and their punishments

Examples of criminal law in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Federal criminal law already bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections. — James Robenalt, Vanity Fair, 27 July 2026

Beliefs Sovereign citizens reject the legitimacy of government above the county level and believe that they cannot be compelled to obey state or federal civil or criminal laws. — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 July 2026

Trump is also now harnessing the processes of criminal law to intimidate and punish. — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 18 July 2026

Federal law strictly prohibits the publication of nonconsensual intimate imagery, including digital forgeries, and most states have passed criminal laws. — Bhakti Mirchandani, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1672, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for criminal law

• avoirdupois
• aa
• aha
• bashaw
• bradshaw
• byelaw
• bylaw
• chainsaw
• cheraw
• coleslaw
• crenshaw
• dada

Legal Definition

criminal law

noun

: public law that deals with crimes and their prosecution compare civil law

Note: Substantive criminal law defines crimes, and procedural criminal law sets down criminal procedure. Substantive criminal law was originally common law for the most part. It was later codified and is now found in federal and state statutory law.