flagrante delicto
Americanadverb
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Law. in the very act of committing the offense.
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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 ● Nov. 20, 2023
The fossils of the bugs, in flagrante delicto, were found in northeastern China.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 11, 2013
Thus discovered, Longaville resorts to words uttered by many a soul surprised in flagrante delicto: “I can explain!”
From New York Times ● Aug. 13, 2013
Even when they involve 14-foot tiger sharks preserved in formaldehyde or pictures of Jeff Koons in flagrante delicto, commercial art gallery exhibitions in New York don’t often draw capacity crowds.
From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2011
She was indeed an American schooner, that had been taken "flagrante delicto," in the very act of smuggling, for which she was condemned, and her crew sent to the mines.
From An Old Sailor's Yarns by N. (Nathaniel) Ames
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
