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Criminology includes the study of all aspects of crime and law enforcement—criminal psychology, the social setting of crime, prohibition and prevention, investigation and detection, capture and punishment. Thus, many of the people involved—legislators, social workers, probation officers, judges, etc.—could possibly be considered criminologists, though the word usually refers only to scholars and researchers.
Examples of criminology in a Sentence
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The victims’ families argued that the university, located just across Idaho’s border with Washington state, failed to take meaningful action after receiving complaints about Kohberger, at the time a criminology graduate student.
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Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
The families of the four students murdered near the University of Idaho in 2022 have filed a lawsuit against Washington State University, where their killer, Bryan Kohberger, had been pursuing his PhD in criminology.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2026
Geoffrey Alpert, a criminology professor at the University of South Carolina, said officials should take a step back before making any pronouncements.
—Claudia Lauer, Twin Cities, 8 Jan. 2026
Murton was teaching at Southern Illinois University and working on a doctorate in criminology when Rockefeller, who wanted an outsider to help reform the state's prison system, called him for help.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025
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Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 10 Jan. 2026
The families of the four students murdered near the University of Idaho in 2022 have filed a lawsuit against Washington State University, where their killer, Bryan Kohberger, had been pursuing his PhD in criminology.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2026
Geoffrey Alpert, a criminology professor at the University of South Carolina, said officials should take a step back before making any pronouncements.
—Claudia Lauer, Twin Cities, 8 Jan. 2026
Murton was teaching at Southern Illinois University and working on a doctorate in criminology when Rockefeller, who wanted an outsider to help reform the state's prison system, called him for help.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminology
Cite this Entry
“Criminology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criminology. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
criminology
noun
crim·i·nol·o·gy
ˌkrim-ə-ˈnäl-ə-jē 
: a scientific study of crime, of criminals, and of their punishment or correction
Medical Definition
Legal Definition
criminology
noun
crim·i·nol·o·gy
ˌkri-mə-ˈnä-lə-jē
: the scientific study of crime as a social phenomenon, of criminals, and of penal treatment
criminologically
adverb
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