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

This is nothing short of an attempt to criminalize free speech and opposition.

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The group challenging the law, Taking Offense, asserted in its lawsuit that the provision mandating that long-term care facilities use people’s chosen pronouns amounts to “criminalizing and compelling speech content.”

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Elham Jalayer, harm reduction director with the social services group Bienestar, said a fence would further criminalize the homeless and give the city an excuse to push people out of the neighborhood.

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

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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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