mens rea

American

[menz ree-uh] / ˈmɛnz ˈri ə /

noun

Law.

a criminal intent.

mens rea British

/ ˈmɛnz ˈreɪə /

noun

law a criminal intention or knowledge that an act is wrong. It is assumed to be an ingredient of all criminal offences although some minor statutory offences are punishable irrespective of it Compare actus reus

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of mens rea

First recorded in 1860–65, mens rea is from New Latin mēns rea

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.

See Examples For:

mens rea

This led Justice Brett Kavanaugh to ask about mens rea, the required mental state that the government must prove in order to show that an individual committed a crime.

From Slate ● Mar. 3, 2026

New findings may challenge traditional legal concepts such as mens rea, the "guilty mind" required to establish intent.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2026

The latter, known as mens rea, is usually missing when dementia patients violate the law.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 17, 2023

Chief Justice John G. Roberts explained in the Opinion of the Court that they did not prove mens rea, or the state of a "guilty mind" required for convictions in certain types of crimes.

From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2020

"We receive a shock of surprise when we meet with a maxim which has troubled our modern lawyers, namely, Reum nonfacit nisi mens rea, in the middle of the Leges Henrici."

From The Emancipation of Massachusetts by Adams, Brooks

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023