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

Starvation has been weaponized as a tool of social control, amounting to a war crime under international law. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2025

Israel currently allows the death penalty only in exceptional cases, including for crimes such as treason and war crimes committed under the Nazi regime, but it has not been used for decades. —Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025

Kobayashi first cast Nakadai in a minor role in the 1956 war drama The Thick-Walled Room about a group of Japanese soldiers accused of war crimes. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 11 Nov. 2025

Vanderbilt's film arrives at theaters as the latest in a long line of films made about the trials of Nazi war crimes. —NPR, 11 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1871, 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.