decriminalize
verb
de·crim·i·nal·ize
(ˌ)dē-ˈkri-mə-nə-ˌlīz 
-ˈkrim-nəl-
decriminalized; decriminalizing; decriminalizes
: to remove or reduce the criminal classification or status of
especially
: to repeal a strict ban on while keeping under some form of regulation
decriminalize the possession of marijuana
Examples of decriminalize in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Czech Republic already decriminalized the possession and cultivation of small amounts of cannabis in 2010.
—
Dario Sabaghi, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
It’s set in 1982, as Spain gallops towards a bright democratic future thanks to a Pact of Forgetting, decriminalizing human rights violations under Francisco Franco’s dictatorship.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 13 May 2025
That’s up from 25 million in 2019, when Denver became the first U.S. city to decriminalize it.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 13 May 2025
Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms, became the first hallucinogenic substance to be decriminalized in the U.S. after Denver voted to legalize possession of it in 2019.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for decriminalize
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Dario Sabaghi, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
It’s set in 1982, as Spain gallops towards a bright democratic future thanks to a Pact of Forgetting, decriminalizing human rights violations under Francisco Franco’s dictatorship.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 13 May 2025
That’s up from 25 million in 2019, when Denver became the first U.S. city to decriminalize it.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 13 May 2025
Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms, became the first hallucinogenic substance to be decriminalized in the U.S. after Denver voted to legalize possession of it in 2019.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for decriminalize
Cite this Entry
“Decriminalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decriminalize. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
decriminalize
transitive verb
de·crim·i·nal·ize
dē-ˈkri-mən-ᵊl-ˌīz
decriminalized; decriminalizing
: to remove or reduce the criminal classification or status of
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