Did you know?
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
Recent Examples on the Web
After getting his bachelor’s in criminology in December 2024, Al-Arab began his master’s program the following spring.
—
Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 24 May 2025
The pair donned matching blue caps and gowns and queued up in line behind fellow 2025 graduates, with the elder Al Arab ready to accept his Bachelor of Arts degree in criminology.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 22 May 2025
Al Arab, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in criminology, according to WGRZ, also posted the clip of the incident on TikTok and shared what went down behind the scenes.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 21 May 2025
In this case, the FBI did the testing along with some investigation early on, and the results culminated into the tip that led Idaho investigators to a Ph.D student in criminology at nearby Washington State University named Kohberger.
—Jean Casarez, CNN Money, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminology
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.
Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 24 May 2025
The pair donned matching blue caps and gowns and queued up in line behind fellow 2025 graduates, with the elder Al Arab ready to accept his Bachelor of Arts degree in criminology.
—Alana Wise, NPR, 22 May 2025
Al Arab, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in criminology, according to WGRZ, also posted the clip of the incident on TikTok and shared what went down behind the scenes.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 21 May 2025
In this case, the FBI did the testing along with some investigation early on, and the results culminated into the tip that led Idaho investigators to a Ph.D student in criminology at nearby Washington State University named Kohberger.
—Jean Casarez, CNN Money, 9 May 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 29 May. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share