Crime

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kɹaɪm/
• Rhymes: -aɪm

Origin

From Old French crimne (French crime), from Latin crimen.

Full definition of crime

Noun

1. (countable) A specific act committed in violation of the law.
2. (uncountable) The practice or habit of committing crimes.Crime doesn’t pay.
3. (uncountable) criminal acts collectively.
4. Any great wickedness or sin; iniquity.
• Alexander PopeNo crime was thine, if 'tis no crime to love.
5. (obsolete) That which occasions crime.
• Spenserthe tree of life, the crime of our first father's fall

Usage notes

Adjectives often applied to "crime": organized, brutal, terrible, horrible, heinous, horrendous, hideous, financial, sexual, international.

Synonyms

• (criminal acts collectively) delinquency, crime rate, criminality

Hyponyms

• misdemeanor
• felony
• offence
• petty crime
• summary offence
• regulatory offence
• criminal act

Derived terms