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
Seeking justice, centuries later Though the frenzy surrounding witchcraft in England faded in the decades following the Maidstone trial, and all laws criminalizing witchcraft have long since been repealed, the convictions of those women – and hundreds like them – still stand.
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James Frater, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Yet, the jury criminalized one set of transactions while sanctioning the other, without any meaningful legal standard to distinguish between them.
—Jim Saunders, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
This is incredibly dangerous for people of color, who are often criminalized and seen as a threat.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
The effect could be to criminalize opposition under the guise of counterterrorism.
—Jason M. Blazakis, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
James Frater, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Yet, the jury criminalized one set of transactions while sanctioning the other, without any meaningful legal standard to distinguish between them.
—Jim Saunders, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
This is incredibly dangerous for people of color, who are often criminalized and seen as a threat.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
The effect could be to criminalize opposition under the guise of counterterrorism.
—Jason M. Blazakis, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminalize
Verb
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As executive secretary of Florida’s NAACP, Moore helped the organization grow to 63 branches and 10,000 members, and register 116,000 voters — 31% of Black voting-age Floridians — in the six years after the Supreme Court’s 1944 decision outlawing white primaries.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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The president also argued that Republicans could pass legislation around election laws, including outlawing transgender women from competing in women’s sports and protecting gun laws.—
Brett Samuels,
The Hill,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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There is a reason that Rice, who first renounced then rejoined her faith, often found her books banned.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Nov. 2025
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Our findings help explain why a growing number of companies have rules restricting or banning relationships across reporting lines.—
Emily Nix,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Criminalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalize. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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