as in outlaws
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 criminalizes
The Take It Down Act criminalizes the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery, also known as NCII.
—
Bethany Bruner, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
As discussed earlier, the wire fraud statute criminalizes putting a plan into motion to wrongfully obtain money or property.
—Robert L. Boone, Sportico.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Because getting around Kansas likely requires a car, this law not only criminalizes trans people but also cuts off their mobility.
—Darren Rosenblum, Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2026
Sacramento County was under a Stage 1 burning restriction from the metro air district Thursday, which criminalizes burning wood fires in most cases.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 15 Jan. 2026
The United Kingdom plans to bring into force a law that criminalizes the creation of non-consensual sexualized images, including through Grok, the chatbot within Elon Musk’s X application, following the app’s deepfake scandal of the last few weeks.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
The new law criminalizes lotteries for voter registration or participation.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 13 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 draft also criminalizes the impersonation of federal officials with AI deepfakes, citing AI’s use in attempts to successfully mimic White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this year.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 25 Nov. 2025
Bethany Bruner, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
As discussed earlier, the wire fraud statute criminalizes putting a plan into motion to wrongfully obtain money or property.
—Robert L. Boone, Sportico.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Because getting around Kansas likely requires a car, this law not only criminalizes trans people but also cuts off their mobility.
—Darren Rosenblum, Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2026
Sacramento County was under a Stage 1 burning restriction from the metro air district Thursday, which criminalizes burning wood fires in most cases.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 15 Jan. 2026
The United Kingdom plans to bring into force a law that criminalizes the creation of non-consensual sexualized images, including through Grok, the chatbot within Elon Musk’s X application, following the app’s deepfake scandal of the last few weeks.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
The new law criminalizes lotteries for voter registration or participation.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 13 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 draft also criminalizes the impersonation of federal officials with AI deepfakes, citing AI’s use in attempts to successfully mimic White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this year.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 25 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminalizes
Verb
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By banning federal agencies from considering systemic racism or equity in AI development, the order effectively outlaws the very efforts needed to fix these problems.—
Joel Bervell,
Time,
14 Nov. 2025
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North Carolina The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Commission outlaws the sale of alcoholic beverages through happy hour promotions.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The law bans the enforcement of foreign or religious law — particularly Sharia Law, the Islamic code.—
Bri Buckley,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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The study found no effect on the rate of suicides, but showed higher rates of homicides and gun homicides in places where Sunday bans on alcohol sales has been repealed.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Criminalizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalizes. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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