war crimes

Cultural  

1. Acts committed by soldiers or government officials, either in the course of a war or in bringing on a war, that violate the customs of warfare. Examples of war crimes include atrocities committed against civilians (see My Lai massacre) and the mistreatment of prisoners of war. After World War II, twenty-two Nazi leaders were tried at Nuremberg by the victorious Allies, and twelve were sentenced to death for war crimes. (See Nuremberg trials.)

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Example Sentences

Postwar tribunals prosecuted numerous war crimes, but not attacks on civilian infrastructure, including the Blitz against London.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Caine evaded any discussion of morality and war crimes, and he knew it.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

"We have no contemporary experience of war crimes trials being conducted in Australia," says Rothwell, one of Australia's leading experts in international law.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Robert Goldman, a war crimes expert at the American University Washington College of Law, said that on energy sites, Trump "can't have it both ways."

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

John Marshall served simultaneously as Secretary of State and Chief Justice, and later Justice Robert Jackson served as war crimes prosecutor.

From The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 30, 1952 by Corwin, Edward Samuel