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

There was a Democratic President helping fund the war in Gaza, and there was real anger about the role that the Biden Administration was playing in perpetuating massive war crimes and other horrible, horrible things in the conflict. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 30 July 2026

Kosovo police on Monday arrested two Kosovo Serbs in connection with the case linked to the Kalluder site on suspicion of war crimes against the civilian population. — ABC News, 29 July 2026

Mamdani then called on the federal government to carry out the warrant, issued by the International Criminal Court that accuses Netanyahu of war crimes and crimes against humanity. — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 27 July 2026

Ruslan Kravchenko, the country’s prosecutor general, opened a war crimes investigation into the attack and a separate criminal case over possible negligence in organizing the event. — Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026

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.