rap sheet

noun

, Slang.

1. a record kept by law-enforcement authorities of a person's arrests and convictions.

rap sheet

noun

1. informal.
   a police record of an individual's criminal history

Word History and Origins

Origin of rap sheet¹

1955–60; rap ¹ (in the slang sense “a criminal charge”)

Example Sentences

The countless misconduct claims have earned Bosque state-wide attention, including a 2011 exposé by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that stated his personnel file was more like “a rap sheet than a résumé.”

From The Daily Beast

Russ Shorto, for whom his grandson is named, had a long rap sheet and controlled a lucrative illegal gambling enterprise for years with his partner and brother-in-law “Little Joe” Regino.

From Washington Post

Brandon Marshall, wide receiver for the Chicago Bears, has a rap sheet including two domestic violence charges.

From The Daily Beast

Despite the bad press, Richardson has a pretty strong professional rap sheet.

From The Daily Beast

We went through his rap sheet in an attempt to find the line between revelatory civil disobedience and complete nonsense.

From The Daily Beast

“It's a rap sheet that would be comically absurd if it wasn't so deadly serious,” Greste wrote in a letter from prison last month.

From The Daily Beast

Now he faces another charge on his rap sheet, and up to five years in prison if convicted.

From The Daily Beast