Definitions for crime
kraɪmcrime

Princeton's WordNet(3.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. crime, offense, criminal offense, criminal offence, offence, law-breakingnoun

   (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act

   "a long record of crimes"

2. crimenoun

   an evil act not necessarily punishable by law

   "crimes of the heart"

Wiktionary(4.25 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. crimenoun

   A specific act committed in violation of the law.

   Etymology: crimen from cernere

2. crimenoun

   The practice or habit of committing crimes.

   Crime doesn't pay.

   Etymology: crimen from cernere

Wikipedia(4.50 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Crime

   In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term crime does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition, though statutory definitions have been provided for certain purposes. The most popular view is that crime is a category created by law; in other words, something is a crime if declared as such by the relevant and applicable law. One proposed definition is that a crime or offence (or criminal offence) is an act harmful not only to some individual but also to a community, society, or the state ("a public wrong"). Such acts are forbidden and punishable by law.The notion that acts such as murder, rape, and theft are to be prohibited exists worldwide. What precisely is a criminal offence is defined by criminal law of each country. While many have a catalogue of crimes called the criminal code, in some common law countries no such comprehensive statute exists. The state (government) has the power to severely restrict one's liberty for committing a crime. In modern societies, there are procedures to which investigations and trials must adhere. If found guilty, an offender may be sentenced to a form of reparation such as a community sentence, or, depending on the nature of their offence, to undergo imprisonment, life imprisonment or, in some jurisdictions, execution. Usually, to be classified as a crime, the "act of doing something criminal" (actus reus) must – with certain exceptions – be accompanied by the "intention to do something criminal" (mens rea).While every crime violates the law, not every violation of the law counts as a crime. Breaches of private law (torts and breaches of contract) are not automatically punished by the state, but can be enforced through civil procedure.

Webster Dictionary(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Crimenoun

   any violation of law, either divine or human; an omission of a duty commanded, or the commission of an act forbidden by law

2. Crimenoun

   gross violation of human law, in distinction from a misdemeanor or trespass, or other slight offense. Hence, also, any aggravated offense against morality or the public welfare; any outrage or great wrong

3. Crimenoun

   any great wickedness or sin; iniquity

4. Crimenoun

   that which occasion crime

Freebase(3.71 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Crime

   A crime, also called an offence or a criminal offence, is an act harmful not only to some individual, but also to the community or the state. Such acts are forbidden and punishable by law. The idea that acts like murder, rape and theft are prohibited exists all around the world, and probably has universal moral basis. What precisely is a criminal offence is defined by criminal law of each country. While many have a catalogue of crimes called the criminal code, in some common law countries no such a comprehensive statute exists. The state has the power to severely restrict one's liberty for committing a crime. Therefore, in modern societies, a criminal procedure must be adhered to during the investigation and trial. Only if found guilty, the offender may be sentenced to punishment such as community sentence, imprisonment, life imprisonment or, in some jurisdictions, even death. To be classified as a crime, the act of doing something bad must be usually accompanied by the intention to do something bad, with certain exceptions. While every crime violates the law, not every violation of the law counts as a crime. Breaches of private law are not automatically punished by the state, but can be enforced through civil procedure.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Crime

   krīm, n. a violation of law: an act punishable by law: offence: sin.—adjs. Crime′ful, criminal; Crime′less, without crime, innocent; Criminal (krim′-), relating to crime: guilty of crime: violating laws.—n. one guilty of crime.—ns. Crim′inalist, one versed in criminal law; Criminal′ity, guiltiness.—adv. Crim′inally.—v.t. Crim′ināte, to accuse.—n. Criminā′tion, act of criminating: accusation.—adjs. Crim′inātive, Crim′inātory, involving crimination or accusation.—ns. Criminol′ogist; Criminol′ogy, that branch of anthropology which treats of crime and criminals.—adj. Crim′inous, criminal—now chiefly in the phrase 'a criminous clerk.'—n. Crim′inousness.—Criminal conversation, often Crim. con., adultery. [Fr.,—L. crimen.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine(3.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Crime

   A violation of the criminal law, i.e., a breach of the conduct code specifically sanctioned by the state, which through its administrative agencies prosecutes offenders and imposes and administers punishments. The concept includes unacceptable actions whether prosecuted or going unpunished.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. crime

   The crime symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the crime symbol and its characteristic.

2. crime

   Song lyrics by crime -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by crime on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Evildoing

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'crime' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1455

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'crime' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1875

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'crime' in Nouns Frequency: #521

How to pronounce crime?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say crime in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of crime in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of crime in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of crime in a Sentence

1. John Ruszczyk:

   Justine was killed by a police officer, an agent of the state, we believe he was properly charged with a crime.

2. President Jacob Zuma:

   While some foreign nationals have been arrested for various crimes, it is misleading and wrong to label or regard all foreign nationals as being involved in crime in the country.

3. Karen Bradley:

   We need to ensure that where a serious crime has been committed, the police are informed and can instigate an appropriate multi-agency response to protect girls and bring perpetrators to justice.

4. Police Chief Robert Luna:

   If you're talking about a crime that occurred at 6 p.m. on a Saturday in a highly dense, congested residential area, somebody had to have seen or heard something.

5. Christopher Lee:

   I am so terribly sorry to the victim and his family for my crime. Neither he nor his family deserved what I did. Nobody deserves that.

Images & Illustrations of crime

Popularity rank by frequency of use