flagrante delicto
Americanadverb
-
Law. in the very act of committing the offense.
-
while having illicit sex with someone.
adverb
Etymology
Origin of flagrante delicto
From Latin: literally, “while the offense is (still) burning”
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.
Bats’ nocturnal and elusive lifestyle also means scientists rarely have the chance to observe them in flagrante delicto.
From Science Magazine
Another triptych, a 2019 painting titled “Sappho,” shows two women in flagrante delicto in the backseat of a vehicle that explodes with riotous nature.
From Los Angeles Times
“You are in flagrante delicto, sir.”
From New York Times
When the pair is spotted by one of the brothers in flagrante delicto, the interracial violence we’ve been expecting ensues, though in the aftermath, the narrative again takes an unanticipated turn.
From New York Times
Eventually Emily comes to realize his actual aims, helped there by stumbling upon Sam and Sue in flagrante delicto.
From Salon
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.
