criminal law

American

noun

the laws of a state or country dealing with criminal offenses and their punishments.

criminal law British

noun

the body of law dealing with the constitution of offences and the punishment of offenders

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of criminal law

First recorded in 1580–90

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.

But, regardless of the outcome of this case, it has also exposed anger about what campaigners say are glaring gaps in criminal law.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

And there’s this one, a pioneering one in California criminal law: a crime even without a corpse, the body of evidence — the corpus delicti.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

Mr. Smith’s career has been marked by unusual zeal to push novel theories stretching criminal law beyond reasonable bounds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

Some legal scholars have cited violations of international and United States criminal law that could come into play.

From Salon • Dec. 6, 2025

“The true crime section is to the right. The criminal law section is behind it.”

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023