cybercrime
Americannoun
noun
-
the illegal use of computers and the internet
-
crime committed by means of computers or the internet
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cybercrime
Explanation
Cybercrime is illegal activity that involves a computer network. Computer hacking and using the Internet to steal credit card numbers are both kinds of cybercrime. When criminals use a computer that's connected to the Internet to commit a crime, it's considered cybercrime. If you have your identity stolen after entering information on a website you think is secure, you're a victim of cybercrime. Malware or computer viruses are another type of cybercrime. The word itself uses the prefix cyber-, which since the early 1990s has been used in many words to signify a connection to the Internet or electronics.
Vocabulary lists containing cybercrime
Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
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Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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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.
According to Human Rights Watch, "several penal code provisions, as well as the cybercrime law, criminalise speech deemed insulting to religion, the emir or foreign leaders".
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Now, in a memo released Wednesday, the White House is attempting to fight back against cybercrime by encouraging private companies to go after transnational criminal organizations “by incorporating the ingenuity of the private sector.”
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
Last year, the FBI received more than 12,000 real estate fraud complaints — a three-year high — to its Internet Crime Complaint Center, according to its latest report on cybercrime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
A £170m upgrade to encrypted technology used in government business was announced last year, as well as new protections from Chinese cybercrime.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Xu is one of a half-dozen alleged kingpins running cybercrime networks, based in Cambodia, who have been sanctioned by the U.S. or are wanted by investigative agencies in other countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
