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
Additionally, in February 2024, owning an XL bully without an exemption certificate was criminalized, per the BBC.
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Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
City council members heard a proposal Monday night to modify the section of the Independence City Code restricting and criminalizing the ways that residents purchase, transport and consume cannabis.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2026
Abigail Luckey, 50, of North Hollywood entered a plea to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery under the Hobbs Act, which criminalizes robbery or extortion affecting interstate commerce.
—City News Service, Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
The project appeared a few months after Orbán’s adoption of a Hungarian law that essentially criminalized homelessness.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
City council members heard a proposal Monday night to modify the section of the Independence City Code restricting and criminalizing the ways that residents purchase, transport and consume cannabis.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2026
Abigail Luckey, 50, of North Hollywood entered a plea to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery under the Hobbs Act, which criminalizes robbery or extortion affecting interstate commerce.
—City News Service, Daily News, 8 Jan. 2026
The project appeared a few months after Orbán’s adoption of a Hungarian law that essentially criminalized homelessness.
—John Penner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminalize
Verb
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Colvin was one of the four plaintiffs in the landmark lawsuit that outlawed racial segregation on Montgomery’s buses.—
Kimberly Chandler,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
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If flooding corn was theoretically outlawed, Cohen hypothesizes that mallards would probably move more frequently and fly farther distances locally.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Several red states have proposed legislation modeled on California's 2023 law, which bans four food additives.—
Alan Greenblatt,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
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The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee will consider several draft proposals in its Tuesday hearing, with some aiming to ban states from setting rules for AVs at all and others looking to lax exemption requirements.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Criminalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalize. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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