Okuzeka
Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Elements of Crime & Liability

Criminal

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/ˈkrɪmɪnl/adjectiveCore term

In criminal law & justice, criminal means: Connected with crime or with the part of the law that deals with crime; as a noun, a person who has committed a crime.

In Turkish: cezai, ceza hukukuna ilişkin, suç teşkil eden, suçlu (isim)

How it is used

As an adjective it appears in many fixed terms: criminal law, criminal court, criminal case, criminal offence, criminal investigation. As a noun ('a dangerous criminal') it is common in news and everyday speech; lawyers usually prefer 'offender' or 'defendant'.

Example sentences

  1. She has worked as a criminal lawyer for fifteen years.

  2. The company now faces a criminal investigation as well as a civil lawsuit.

  3. Not every breach of a contract is criminal; most disputes are settled in the civil courts.

Common collocations

  • criminal law
  • criminal case
  • criminal court
  • criminal investigation
  • criminal offence
  • crimeAn 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.
  • criminal recordAn official list of the crimes a person has been convicted of, which employers or authorities may check in some situations.
  • criminal liabilityLegal responsibility for a crime, which means that a person can be prosecuted and punished for it.
  • offenderA person who has committed a crime, especially one who has been convicted; the word is common in sentencing, prisons and probation.

More terms: Elements of Crime & Liability

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