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

Working with their team at the Clooney Foundation for Justice, Anya Neistat, a brilliant war crimes investigator, joins forces with Solomiia Stasiv, a young Ukrainian woman just entering the field. —Jack Dunn, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024

In Ukraine, Putin feels totally free to up the scale of his war crimes against civilians, as the GOP turns against Kyiv while the world and the White House focus on Gaza. —Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2024

Thousands of civilians have been killed, although death toll estimates are highly uncertain, and both sides have been accused of committing war crimes. —Reuters, NBC News, 12 Apr. 2024

If Western weapons are found to have been used in the perpetration of war crimes (or, worse, genocide) in Gaza, what culpability could their suppliers face? —Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 9 Apr. 2024

In the months that followed, knowledge of Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine spread rapidly across the world. —Mariia Hlyten, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2024

International observers have found substantial evidence that both Tigrayan and Ethiopian forces have committed war crimes, including the mass rape and murder of civilians. —Ayen Deng Bior, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Mar. 2024

Its plot revolves around a U.S. government that has become a dystopian dictatorship and extremist militias who regularly commit war crimes. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024

Human Rights Watch verified some of the videos of the attack, and called on the International Criminal Court to investigate the attacks as war crimes. —Peter Kenyon, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

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.