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
Still, critics warn that criminalizing parental behavior may not be the best solution to gun violence and stress the need for better mental health care and comprehensive gun reform.
—
Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
Federal laws criminalize mishandling classified information – for example, by knowingly transmitting it to an unauthorized person or retaining it in an unauthorized location.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
Governor Ron DeSantis recently endorsed child labor as a fix for worker shortages caused by mass deportations and by a new state law criminalizing undocumented immigrants.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2025
Whereas the Catholic Church in 2008, under Benedict XVI, had refused to sign a United Nations declaration calling for the repeal of laws criminalizing homosexuality, Francis chose a different course.
—Randall Balmer, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
Federal laws criminalize mishandling classified information – for example, by knowingly transmitting it to an unauthorized person or retaining it in an unauthorized location.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
Governor Ron DeSantis recently endorsed child labor as a fix for worker shortages caused by mass deportations and by a new state law criminalizing undocumented immigrants.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2025
Whereas the Catholic Church in 2008, under Benedict XVI, had refused to sign a United Nations declaration calling for the repeal of laws criminalizing homosexuality, Francis chose a different course.
—Randall Balmer, Time, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminalize
Verb
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In November, her government outlawed lockboxes and megaphones in the city center.—
John Last,
Christian Science Monitor,
9 May 2025
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The proposed Section 4737 would outlaw any governing document restriction preventing replacement of fuel burning with electric heat pump heating or cooling equipment.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 May 2025
Verb
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But there’s a difference between that and the government arresting you for your speech, or banning a book.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
4 May 2025
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The same month, Idaho banned soda and candy purchases using food stamps.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
4 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Criminalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalize. Accessed 15 May. 2025.
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