crime
Americannoun
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crimes
plural
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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
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criminal activity and those engaged in it.
to fight crime.
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the habitual or frequent commission of crimes.
a life of crime.
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any offense, serious wrongdoing, or sin.
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a foolish, senseless, or shameful act.
It's a crime to let that beautiful garden go to ruin.
noun
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an act or omission prohibited and punished by law
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unlawful acts in general
a wave of crime
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( as modifier )
crime wave
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an evil act
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informal something to be regretted
it is a crime that he died young
Usage
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.
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of crime
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” ( cf. discern ( def. ))
Explanation
Something that's against the law is a crime. If your friend shoplifts clothes from a store, you'll be disappointed because you know that stealing is a serious crime. A crime is an illegal act that someone can be legally punished for, like damaging someone's property. You can also talk about crime more generally to describe something that's unfair, wrong, and difficult to fix, like the crime of art museums charging high admission prices, making it all but impossible for many families to afford to go often.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Those five months were 50 years’ worth of fun,” Tahereh says of the period between crime and punishment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
During the festival, officers will be supporting Creamfields event and security staff and providing a visible presence to prevent incidents of crime and disorder from occurring, the Cheshire force added.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
For 6,895 days, Guy Miles sat behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
In a long post on X, Ruben Rocha Moya, an ally of leftist President Claudia Sheinbaum, insisted he had "committed no crime" and was returning to office "with a clear conscience and head held high."
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
“I thought solving this crime would be easy. But it’s not.”
From "Trouble at the Arcade (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #1)" by Franklin W. Dixon
The United States rarely executes women, no matter how gruesome their crimes.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
But President Claudia Sheinbaum refused to comply, asserting that U.S. authorities did not provide sufficient proof of his alleged crimes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Khan, 73, and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced late last year to 17 years behind bars after being charged with corruption and other crimes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The ICC, which was established in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the UN Security Council.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
States found countless ways for individual victims in particular crimes to become decision makers and participants.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
