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• vice
  vice

  noun

  an immoral or evil habit or practice.
• vice-
  vice-

  a combining form meaning “deputy,” used in the formation of compound words, usually titles of officials who serve in the absence of the official denoted by the base word.
• Vice
  Vice

  noun

  (in English morality plays) a character personifying a particular vice or vice in general

vice

¹ American  

[vahys] / vaɪs /

noun

1. an immoral or evil habit or practice.

   These biblical verses cover the vices of boastfulness and pride, miserliness, and hypocrisy.

   Synonyms:

   depravity, wrong, wrongdoing, fault

   Antonyms:

   virtue

2. immoral conduct; depraved or degrading behavior.

   In the Christian religion there are numerous instances of sudden conversions from a life of vice to one of virtue.

   Synonyms:

   corruption, corruptness, badness, wickedness, iniquity, sin, immorality

   Antonyms:

   morality, virtue

3. sexual immorality, especially prostitution.

   Synonyms:

   licentiousness, degeneracy, wantonness

4. a particular form of depravity.

5. a fault, defect, or shortcoming.

   a minor vice in his literary style.

   Synonyms:

   weakness, foible, flaw, imperfection, blemish, stain

6. (of a horse’s behavior) a bad habit.

   Allowing your horse turnout in a paddock may prevent vices such as weaving or wood chewing normally observed in a stall.

7. Sometimes Vice vice squad.

   Detective Crockett was reassigned from the Robbery Division to Vice last year.

8. Vice, a character in the English morality plays, a personification of general vice or of a particular vice, serving as the buffoon.

9. Archaic. a physical defect, flaw, or infirmity.

   In most cases, attempts to relieve the symptoms will be of little avail without at the same time relieving or removing the constitutional vice which has induced this condition.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the vice squad, or to the threats to public order it is tasked to police, such as gambling, pornography, prostitution, and narcotics: the vice division of the police department.

   a vice cop;

   the vice division of the police department.

vice ² American  

[vahys] / vaɪs /

noun

viced, vicing

1. vise.

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vice ³ American  

[vahy-see, -suh, vahys] / ˈvaɪ si, -sə, vaɪs /

preposition

1. instead of; in the place of.

   The committee was reorganized, with Mr. Silver, vice Mr. Cooper, as the head.

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vice- ⁴ American  

1. a combining form meaning “deputy,” used in the formation of compound words, usually titles of officials who serve in the absence of the official denoted by the base word.

   viceroy; vice-chancellor.

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vice ¹ British  

/ vaɪs /

noun

1. an immoral, wicked, or evil habit, action, or trait

2. habitual or frequent indulgence in pernicious, immoral, or degrading practices

3. a specific form of pernicious conduct, esp prostitution or sexual perversion

4. a failing or imperfection in character, conduct, etc

   smoking is his only vice

5. obsolete pathol any physical defect or imperfection

6. a bad trick or disposition, as of horses, dogs, etc

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vice ² British  

/ vaɪs /

adjective

1. 1. (prenominal) serving in the place of or as a deputy for

   2. ( in combination )

      viceroy

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noun

1. informal a person who serves as a deputy to another

vice ³ British  

/ vaɪs /

noun

1. an appliance for holding an object while work is done upon it, usually having a pair of jaws

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verb

1. (tr) to grip (something) with or as if with a vice

Vice ⁴ British  

/ vaɪs /

noun

1. (in English morality plays) a character personifying a particular vice or vice in general

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vice ⁵ British  

/ ˈvaɪsɪ /

preposition

1. instead of; as a substitute for

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Synonym Usage

See fault.

Other Word Forms

• viceless
  adjective
• vicelike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of vice¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin vitium “a fault, defect, vice”

Origin of vice³

First recorded in 1760–70; from Latin: literally, “instead of,” ablative of vicis (genitive; not attested in nominative) “recurring action, turn, interchange, alternation”

Origin of vice-⁴

Middle English ≪ Latin vice vice ³

Explanation

A vice is a moral failing or a bad habit. Lying and cheating are both forms of vice. In the United States, municipal police departments often have a bureau dedicated to vice, manned by vice cops, whose job it is to fight crime related to alcohol, drugs, and gambling. But anything can be a vice, as long as there's someone out there who views it as bad behavior or a moral weakness. You might say, casually, "Chocolate ice cream is my vice. I eat it every day."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vice vice- Vice

Mexico has historically welcomed people who report political prosecution, and in recent years has granted asylum to figures including Bolivia's socialist ex-leader Evo Morales and former Ecuadoran vice president Jorge Glas.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Sosnick quotes a post on LinkedIn by Henry Schwartz in which the vice president of market intelligence at Cboe examines trading in S&P 500 options.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

The Canadian energy company said current President and CEO Rich Kruger will transition to the role of executive vice chair in April next year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Dominic DiCarlo, Lineage’s vice president of global safety and compliance, said he was “highly confident that ammonia from the refrigeration system was not compromised.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

“I’ll stay up here and guard the entrance. After all, even though I’m the vice principal, I’m also the custodian.”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

“What it comes down to is data quality,” said Jean-Charles Gordon, Kpler’s vice- president of maritime and logistics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026

Also on Friday, the US House of Representatives voted unanimously to bolster Secret Service protection for presidential and vice- presidential candidates.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2024

The most incensed response to the report came from Diosdado Cabello, the vice- president of Maduro’s party and the president of the National Constituent Assembly.

From The New Yorker ● Jul. 23, 2019

Former senator Joseph I. Lieberman, the Democratic vice- presidential nominee in 2000 who later became an independent, also signed the letter.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 17, 2015

Once again the vice- president turned to confront Officer Delinko.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

Vice President JD Vance told the mourners Graham was an affable, gregarious politician who would slap Senate colleagues on the back and had a passion for engaging opponents in "swashbuckling" debate.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

The president has the largest following, with around 13 million users, while his sons and Vice President JD Vance are also widely followed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

At the time Vice Mayor Melissa Blaustein said the city was “so lucky” to have someone of Forbes’ “caliber, experience, connections, network, and also kind personality and demeanor.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

A week after the resumption of bombing, an anonymous X account that describes itself as “Iranian” posted that Iran had sent a text message to Vice President J.D.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

Or, as my mentor, Vice Principal Metzer, always says, “Rich is an adjective, wealth is a verb.”

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman