as in to outlaw
to make or declare contrary to the law
wanted to criminalize an activity that the mountaineers had been engaging in for generations
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Recent Examples of criminalize
Along with Jim Crow laws that criminalized Blackness, the loophole allowed for the legal re-enslavement of Black Americans to financially benefit the state.
—
Julia Bowling,
The Conversation,
29 May 2026
Other initiatives have become a flashpoint in an ongoing battle over funding the Department of Homeland Security, which is ICE’s parent agency, including allowing officers to wear masks while in public and trying to criminalize the recording and publishing of video of their operations.
—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Critics worry that the buffer zones could be used to quell nonviolent demonstrations or criminalize free speech.
—
CBS News,
28 May 2026
The bill also criminalizes interior design.
—
Doug McCauley,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
Julia Bowling,
The Conversation,
29 May 2026
Other initiatives have become a flashpoint in an ongoing battle over funding the Department of Homeland Security, which is ICE’s parent agency, including allowing officers to wear masks while in public and trying to criminalize the recording and publishing of video of their operations.
—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Critics worry that the buffer zones could be used to quell nonviolent demonstrations or criminalize free speech.
—
CBS News,
28 May 2026
The bill also criminalizes interior design.
—
Doug McCauley,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminalize
Verb
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People of faith gathered in secrecy for services, and religion was outlawed.
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The law, however, does not outlaw current ownership of the pistols or the private resale of such firearms.
Verb
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Earlier this month, residents of Monterey Park voted overwhelmingly to ban data centers, making the San Gabriel Valley city the first in the nation to do so by public vote.
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In April, the UK’s home office banned the rapper from entering the country.
Cite this Entry
“Criminalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalize. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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