criminalize

especially British, crim·i·nal·ise

[krim-uh-nl-ahyz]

verb (used with object)

criminalized, criminalizing 

1. to make punishable as a crime.

   To reduce the graffiti on subway cars, he wants to criminalize the selling of spray paint to minors.

2. to make a criminal of.

   Drug use has criminalized him.

criminalize

/ ˈkrɪmɪnəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to make (an action or activity) criminal

2. to treat (a person) as a criminal

Other Word Forms

• criminalization noun
• recriminalization noun
• recriminalize verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of criminalize¹

First recorded in 1955–60; criminal + -ize

Example Sentences

It’s often used to criminalize us, particularly people of color.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

City staff originally proposed directing sheriff officers to ensure the city was free of encampments, while also making sure those efforts did not “criminalize individuals living unhoused.”

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Approximately 45 states, including New Jersey, have passed legislation that criminalizes AI-generated or modified images of this kind.

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Politically unaccountable low-level government employees clock in daily, get out a pen, and criminalize activity that harms nobody.

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Lawmakers in South Carolina are considering a bill that would repeal protections under the state’s six-week abortion ban, eliminating existing exceptions and further criminalizing efforts to help a pregnant person obtain an abortion.

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