victimless crime


noun
  1. a legal offense, as prostitution or gambling, to which all participating parties have consented.

Origin of victimless crime

1
First recorded in 1960–65

Words Nearby victimless crime

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use victimless crime in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for victimless crime

victimless crime

/ (ˈvɪktɪmləs) /


noun
  1. a type of crime, such as insurance fraud, regarded by some people as being excusable because the victim is the state or an organization, rather than an individual

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

Cultural definitions for victimless crime

victimless crime

A term sometimes used for various acts that are considered crimes under the law but apparently have no victim. One such crime is prostitution, which is viewed by some as a commercial exchange between two consenting adults.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.