war crime

noun

: a crime (such as genocide or maltreatment of prisoners) committed during or in connection with war

—usually used in plural

war criminal noun

Examples of war crime in a Sentence

He was found guilty of torture and other war crimes.

Recent Examples on the Web

Blair faced a private war crimes prosecution, but the British high court ruled to block it in 2017. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 30 Sep. 2025

Milošević, who died while on trial for war crimes, did much to inflame Serbian nationalism in the early 1990s and presided over the bloody wars in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. —Hanna Begić, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2025

Why, in the middle of the Troubles, would this be a war crime? —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Sep. 2025

The film, which saw Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova accompany a Russian military unit in the war in Ukraine, was criticized for trivializing Russian war crimes in Ukraine. —Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 27 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for war crime

• airtime
• bedtime
• daytime
• downtime
• enzyme
• halftime
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• meantime
• nighttime

Legal Definition

war crime

noun

: an act committed usually during an international war for which individual criminal liability will be imposed by a domestic or international tribunal

specifically : a violation of the laws or customs of war as embodied or recognized by international treaty, court decisions, or established practice

—usually used in pl.

Note: Following World War II, the Charter of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg first codified war crimes including crimes against humanity. Also encompassed in the legal concept of war crimes is the crime of planning or waging a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties.