crime
Americannoun
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an action or an instance of negligence that is deemed injurious to the public welfare or morals or to the interests of the state and that is legally prohibited.
- Synonyms:
- felony, tort, misdemeanor, wrong
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criminal activity and those engaged in it.
to fight crime.
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the habitual or frequent commission of crimes.
a life of crime.
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any offense, serious wrongdoing, or sin.
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a foolish, senseless, or shameful act.
It's a crime to let that beautiful garden go to ruin.
noun
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an act or omission prohibited and punished by law
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unlawful acts in general
a wave of crime
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( as modifier )
crime wave
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an evil act
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informal something to be regretted
it is a crime that he died young
Usage
What is a crime? A crime is an act or instance that is considered to be against the morals or laws of society, as in Burglary and grand theft auto are crimes. A person could also be said to have committed a crime against nature or a crime against humanity if they performed especially offensive or taboo acts. A crime can also mean illegal activity in general or a frequent committing of such activity, as in The superhero was dedicated to fighting crime. Crime can also mean a repeated or frequent performing of illegal acts, as in The mobsters lived a life of crime. And crime can be used more generally to refer to any offense or sin, as in The man swore his neighbor would pay for his crime of letting his dogs waltz through his yard. Informally, crime can be used to mean a regrettable thing, as in It is a crime that the musician died so young. The word criminal can be used to mean both a person who commits crime as well as an adjective for things related to crime. Example: Publishing someone’s words as your own is a crime.
Synonym Usage
Crime, offense, sin agree in meaning a breaking of law. Crime usually means any serious violation of human laws: the crime of treason or robbery. Offense is used of an infraction of either human or divine law, and does not necessarily mean a serious one: an offense leading to a jail sentence; an offense against morals. Sin means a breaking of moral or divine law: the sins of greed and lust.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of crime
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin crīmin-, stem of crīmen “accusation, blame, charge,” akin to cernere “to decide, distinguish, separate,” literally, “to sift” ( cf. discern ( def. ))
Explanation
Something that's against the law is a crime. If your friend shoplifts clothes from a store, you'll be disappointed because you know that stealing is a serious crime. A crime is an illegal act that someone can be legally punished for, like damaging someone's property. You can also talk about crime more generally to describe something that's unfair, wrong, and difficult to fix, like the crime of art museums charging high admission prices, making it all but impossible for many families to afford to go often.
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:
Unless previously deported, living in the country illegally is considered a civil violation rather than a crime and carries penalties such as arrests, fines and deportation proceedings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
The civil war has seeded instability across Myanmar, creating fertile ground for organised crime groups running transnational scam operations to set up shop in fortified compounds, according to monitors.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
To be sure, some people succeed through crime or corruption.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
It would simply require the punishment to answer to the crime, which is all the Eighth Amendment has ever asked of anyone.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
“On such an expedition the theft of food comes next to murder as a crime, and should by rights be punished as such,” Roosevelt wrote.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
She also freelanced from Cambodia, covering the Khmer Rouge war crimes trials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
More generally, he added, "this withdrawal weakens the international architecture of criminal justice and heightens fears that the perpetrators of the most serious crimes will escape any prosecution".
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
James Kempster, a man who police say had a prior record of wildlife crimes, was arrested as a result.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Truelove was arraigned Friday on charges of burglary and menacing in the third degree as hate crimes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
One article said that thousands of innocent people were convicted of crimes each year.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
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.
