illegalize

American  

[ih-lee-guh-lahyz] / ɪˈli gəˌlaɪz /

especially British, illegalise

verb (used with object)

illegalized, illegalizing

1. to make illegal.

   They even wanted to illegalize smoking.

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illegalize British  

/ ɪˈliːɡəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to make illegal

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Other Word Forms

• illegalization noun

Etymology

Origin of illegalize

First recorded in 1810–20; illegal + -ize

Explanation

To illegalize something is to make it illegal, or to announce that it's against the law. When a city's police set a new curfew, they illegalize kids and teenagers being out at night. The verb illegalize is a somewhat informal way to say "make something illegal." Your town might illegalize smoking in public places or your state senators could vote to illegalize dog fighting. In either case, something previously allowed is being made illegal. It's considered better grammar to say "make illegal," or even "criminalize," since illegalize is a relatively new verb constructed from illegal, "against the law," and the verb-forming suffix ize.

Example Sentences

Which leaves us with one moral option: illegalize it, the whole operation.

From The Guardian • Jan. 4, 2016

Or we illegalize the thing we do not want others to do.

From Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 7 Little Journeys to the Homes of Eminent Orators by Hubbard, Elbert

Related Words

• bar
• exclude
• halt
• outlaw
• prevent
• prohibit
• proscribe
• restrict
• suppress