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

On Monday, more than 800 lawyers, academics and retired judges called on Mr. Starmer in an open letter to impose sanctions, saying that Israel was guilty of war crimes and had met the threshold for genocide. —Mark Landler, New York Times, 29 May 2025

The United Kingdom suspended free trade talks, and several aid groups call Israeli actions in Gaza a war crime. —Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 23 May 2025

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been the focus of numerous documentaries: Alex Gibney’s We Steal Secrets explored the website Assange created that exposed U.S. war crimes in Iraq, an immense cache of U.S. diplomatic cables, and much more. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 21 May 2025

Russian officials have previously denied that Russian troops have committed war crimes and insisted that Russia treats prisoners of war in accordance with international law. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 21 May 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.