as in offenders
a person who has committed a crime
car thieves, pickpockets, burglars, and other criminals
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Recent Examples of criminals
There’s no word on ICE having a special decoder ring that tracks only the criminals.
—
Tressie McMillan Cottom, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026
Houser said that because the majority of Americans support removing serious criminals, the White House muddies the waters in an effort to maintain support for mass deportations.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
Removing that data reduces how easily criminals can build a profile.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Should the handover of violent criminals who happen to be in the country without permission happen strictly in the state prisons?
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
With regard to the criminal element, Maryland and the rest of the states have their own fair share of homegrown criminals without importing more from the rest of the globe.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2026
Removing these criminals from the streets makes communities safer for business owners and customers.
—Connor Greene, Time, 6 Feb. 2026
There were opportunistic criminals.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
Every national group of immigrants that has come to this country has produced its share of criminals.
—Robert W. Laird, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Tressie McMillan Cottom, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026
Houser said that because the majority of Americans support removing serious criminals, the White House muddies the waters in an effort to maintain support for mass deportations.
—Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
Removing that data reduces how easily criminals can build a profile.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Should the handover of violent criminals who happen to be in the country without permission happen strictly in the state prisons?
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
With regard to the criminal element, Maryland and the rest of the states have their own fair share of homegrown criminals without importing more from the rest of the globe.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2026
Removing these criminals from the streets makes communities safer for business owners and customers.
—Connor Greene, Time, 6 Feb. 2026
There were opportunistic criminals.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
Every national group of immigrants that has come to this country has produced its share of criminals.
—Robert W. Laird, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminals
offenders
Noun
-
Despite the wholesale change in how California sentences juvenile offenders, outrage over the crime has not faded.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
In 2024, the Associated Press reported that inmates at a Virginia facility that predominantly holds mentally ill offenders were hospitalized for hypothermia at least 13 times over the course of three years.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Criminals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminals. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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