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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And although Abe offered remorse for Japan’s war crimes at a summit in Indonesia in 2015, the following day three of his cabinet ministers visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, a memorial to Japan’s war dead and widely seen as a symbol of its militarism. Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Sep. 2025 Jeremy Pizzi, legal adviser at Global Rights Compliance, which is helping Kyiv compile evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, told Newsweek on Monday that the move was Moscow's latest effort to prevent all access to prisoners by independent observers. Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025 Despite several Western nations recently ramping up pressure on Israel, the US has remained steadfast in its support of the country, with Washington yesterday unveiling sanctions on Palestinian rights groups that called for war crimes investigations against Israel. Ben Smith, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2025 Israel does not commit war crimes. Jack Sheehan september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for war crime

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of war crime was in 1906

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Cite this Entry

“War crime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war%20crime. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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.

More from Merriam-Webster on war crime

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