criminalize
Americanverb (used with object)
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criminalizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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criminalized,
past participle, past
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criminalizing
present participle
verb
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to make (an action or activity) criminal
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to treat (a person) as a criminal
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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criminalizesimple
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criminalizessimple
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have criminalizedperfect
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has criminalizedperfect
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am criminalizingprogressive
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are criminalizingprogressive
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is criminalizingprogressive
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have been criminalizingperfect progressive
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has been criminalizingperfect progressive
Past
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criminalizedsimple
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had criminalizedperfect
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was criminalizingprogressive
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were criminalizingprogressive
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had been criminalizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of criminalize
Vocabulary lists containing criminalize
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:
In 2023, when Texas politicians sought to criminalize many drag performances, Parton backed a drag queen fighting the legislation in a way that was uniquely Dolly.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Congress can certainly criminalize smuggling directed at our shores.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
At the meeting, a captain said officers are limited in what they can do, because it was the policy of the county not to criminalize homelessness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2025
But criminalizing parody opens up enough dangerous doors that even the most self-interested people who oppose it are onto something, and it sure does seem like this law could criminalize parody.
From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2025
“Due to undefined mitigation measures coupled with a vague enforcement provision, the bill could also criminalize common practices like using a VPN or side-loading to install a prohibited app,” EFF said.
From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2023
Removing encampments criminalizes people who already are marginalized by society, when the focus should be on addressing addiction and mental health issues, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The state law criminalizes only harassment near a house of worship, with harassment defined as conduct that places a person in reasonable fear for his safety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The court didn’t reach Louisiana’s separate argument that the Comstock Act criminalizes the mailing of mifepristone, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t embrace that claim later too.
From Slate ● Apr. 13, 2026
He was convicted under a law that criminalizes the filing of retaliatory liens against the property of “any officer or employee of the United States.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 14, 2023
However, advocates for those experiencing homelessness push back on this argument, which they claim, in fact, criminalizes homelessness.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2023
“We were already being criminalized and singled out,” said Maria Puerta Riera, a Venezuelan-American political science professor in Orlando and Colorado.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2025
He was also gay at a time when homosexuality was criminalized in Britain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
During Epstein’s lifetime, homosexuality was criminalized in Great Britain, forcing him to live a closeted lifestyle.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2025
Cimino asked: “Why is she criminalized for the act that he did?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2025
This sort of activity had not yet been publicized, much less criminalized.
From The Hacker Crackdown, law and disorder on the electronic frontier by Bruce Sterling
In some places, laws criminalizing certain psychological abuse, like “coercive control,” are making it onto the books, but it varies wildly by state.
From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026
Lawmaker Reimont Luiz Otoni Santa Barbara has introduced the "Red Pill Bill," aimed at criminalizing content that he says promotes violence against women.
From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026
Article 133 covers dishonorable conduct, while Article 134 is the catchall provision criminalizing conduct that is harmful to good order and discipline or brings discredit on the armed forces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
Venezuela’s National Assembly has approved a measure criminalizing activities that hinder navigation and commerce, including the seizure of oil tankers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025
The state refused to step in to aid the movie companies by criminalizing the new technology.
From The Public Domain Enclosing the Commons of the Mind by James Boyle
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
