cybercrime

American  

[sahy-ber-krahym] / ˈsaɪ bərˌkraɪm /

Or cyber crime

noun

1. criminal activity or a crime that involves the internet, a computer system, or computer technology.

   identity theft, phishing, and other kinds of cybercrime.

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cybercrime British  

/ ˈsaɪbəˌkraɪm /

noun

1. the illegal use of computers and the internet

2. crime committed by means of computers or the internet

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Other Word Forms

• cybercriminal noun

Etymology

Origin of cybercrime

First recorded in 1990–95; cyber- + crime

Example Sentences

In a post on X on Monday morning, Sterling called on Dubai "to process foreigners in detention for cybercrime violations as quickly as possible".

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Although they were explicitly programmed to refuse to help hackers, the bots were duped into abetting the cybercrime.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

AFP was granted a look inside the global organisation's multi-pronged cybercrime facility, where specialists pore through massive amounts of data in a bid to prevent the next big ransomware attack or impersonation scam.

From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026

Tuesday’s raid was conducted by cybercrime police and Europol, the European Union’s law-enforcement agency.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

Even before the rise of AI, cybercrime operated like a marketplace, experts say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025