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Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Crimes & Offences

Crime

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/kraɪm/nounCore term

In criminal law & justice, crime means: An act that breaks the criminal law and can be punished by the state, for example with a fine or prison; used without an article, it also means illegal activity in general.

In Turkish: suç, suç olgusu

How it is used

Countable for a single act ('a serious crime') and uncountable for crime in general ('fighting crime', 'crime rates'). You commit a crime, report a crime and solve a crime. Police and journalists use it constantly, while statutes prefer 'offence'.

Example sentences

  1. Most of the crimes reported in the district last year were thefts from parked cars.

  2. He was eighteen when he committed his first crime.

  3. The new police chief promised to cut crime in the city centre.

Common collocations

  • commit a crime
  • report a crime
  • solve a crime
  • serious crime
  • crime rate
  • offenceA formal word for an illegal act that the law punishes, from minor ones such as speeding to serious ones such as robbery.
  • criminalConnected with crime or with the part of the law that deals with crime; as a noun, a person who has committed a crime.
  • offenderA person who has committed a crime, especially one who has been convicted; the word is common in sentencing, prisons and probation.
  • felonyIn the US, a serious crime such as murder, robbery or burglary, usually punishable by more than one year in prison; less serious crimes are misdemeanors.

More terms: Crimes & Offences

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.