crime

[krahym]

noun

1. an action or an instance of negligence that is deemed injurious to the public welfare or morals or to the interests of the state and that is legally prohibited.

   Synonyms: felony, tort, misdemeanor, wrong

2. criminal activity and those engaged in it.

   to fight crime.

3. the habitual or frequent commission of crimes.

   a life of crime.

4. any offense, serious wrongdoing, or sin.

5. a foolish, senseless, or shameful act.

   It's a crime to let that beautiful garden go to ruin.

crime

/ kraɪm /

noun

1. an act or omission prohibited and punished by law

2. 1. unlawful acts in general

      a wave of crime

   2. ( as modifier )

      crime wave

3. an evil act

4. informal,  something to be regretted

   it is a crime that he died young

Other Word Forms

• crimeless adjective
• crimelessness noun
• anticrime adjective
• supercrime noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of crime¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin crīmin-, stem of crīmen “accusation, blame, charge,” akin to cernere “to decide, distinguish, separate,” literally, “to sift” ( discern ( def. ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of crime¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin crīmen verdict, accusation, crime

Synonym Study

Crime, offense, sin agree in meaning a breaking of law. Crime usually means any serious violation of human laws: the crime of treason or robbery. Offense is used of an infraction of either human or divine law, and does not necessarily mean a serious one: an offense leading to a jail sentence; an offense against morals. Sin means a breaking of moral or divine law: the sins of greed and lust.

Example Sentences

In response to the BBC's findings, the government told us it has a "mission to halve knife crime" and "schools have the power to implement security measures, including knife arches, where necessary".

Read more on BBC

"Does the punishment fit the crime? Probably not. I kind of feel sorry for him that he wasn't handled better."

Read more on BBC

He traced his life of crime to problems at school.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Sussex Police takes a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime and there is no place for hate across the county.

Read more on BBC

He encouraged residents to report thefts or other types of crimes to the Police Department to assist in identifying trends or possibly repeat offenders.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• atrocity 
• breach 
• case 
• corruption 
• evil 
• felony 
• infraction 
• lawlessness 
• misconduct 
• misdeed 
• misdemeanor 
• scandal 
• transgression 
• violation 
• wrongdoing 

When To Use

What is a crime?

A crime is an act or instance that is considered to be against the morals or laws of society, as in Burglary and grand theft auto are crimes.A person could also be said to have committed a crime against nature or a crime against humanity if they performed especially offensive or taboo acts.A crime can also mean illegal activity in general or a frequent committing of such activity, as in The superhero was dedicated to fighting crime.Crime can also mean a repeated or frequent performing of illegal acts, as in The mobsters lived a life of crime. And crime can be used more generally to refer to any offense or sin, as in The man swore his neighbor would pay for his crime of letting his dogs waltz through his yard. Informally, crime can be used to mean a regrettable thing, as in It is a crime that the musician died so young. The word criminal can be used to mean both a person who commits crime as well as an adjective for things related to crime.Example: Publishing someone’s words as your own is a crime.