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

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.

From Salon

Even after abolition, Lucumí continued — quietly, often in private homes — as police and officials criminalized anything perceived as “pagan.”

From Los Angeles Times

U.S. governors and mayors in recent years have pushed measures criminalizing homelessness, from bans on camping in public spaces to restrictions on food distribution.

From Salon

The Supreme Court’s ruling also determined that the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments does not protect homeless people from laws criminalizing resting in public places.

From Salon

I want L.A. to be a city where people are not criminalized because of where they live, where they’re not forced to live in top-down solutions that don’t work for them.

From Los Angeles Times