criminalize
verb
crim·i·nal·ize
| \ ˈkri-mə-nə-ˌlīz
, ˈkrim-nə-ˌlīz\
, ˈkrim-nə-ˌlīz\
criminalized;
criminalizing
Definition of criminalize
: to make illegal
also
: to turn into a criminal or treat as criminal
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Other Words from criminalize
criminalization
\ ˌkri-mə-nə-lə-ˈzā-shən
, ˌkrim-nə-lə-ˈzā- \
noun
, ˌkrim-nə-lə-ˈzā- \
noun
Examples of criminalize in a Sentence
a law that criminalized alcohol
wanted to criminalize an activity that the mountaineers had been engaging in for generations
Recent Examples on the Web
Burrell said, referring to claims that Fairhope’s ordinance is akin to criminalizing homelessness. — John Sharp | [email protected], al, "Why did Fairhope make sleeping in vehicles illegal?," 16 Aug. 2019 The initiative is another egregious attempt to criminalize purchase of firearms and create a registry. — Anthony Man, sun-sentinel.com, "Florida attorney general trying to keep proposed assault weapons ban off 2020 election ballot," 29 July 2019 The goal of BART’s fare-evasion program is to change people’s behavior instead of criminalizing it, so the tickets are civil fines rather than criminal citations. — Phil Matier, SFChronicle.com, "BART’s fare-evasion collection tally: One $95 payment on 6,000-plus tickets," 26 June 2019 While only four states have yet to pass a law criminalizing nonconsensual pornography, the majority of states leave the majority of victims unprotected. — Emma Grey Ellis, WIRED, "New York's Revenge Porn Law Is a Flawed Step Forward," 24 July 2019 Castro insisted on repealing a specific statute that the Trump administration has relied upon to criminalize border crossing; O'Rourke maintained the nation needs sweeping systemic changes with humanitarian mercy. — Ronald J. Hansen, azcentral, "In first debate, Democrats urged immigration changes, sought to connect with Hispanic voters," 27 June 2019 The latest deepfakes news comes as Congress considers legislation to criminalize the malicious creation and distribution of doctored videos. — Dalvin Brown, USA TODAY, "Instagram won't remove deepfake video of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, report says," 12 June 2019 If Roe is overturned soon and states continue to criminalize the killing of unborn children, more unplanned babies will be born in America than ever before. — Dan Hart, National Review, "In a Post-Abortion America, the Pro-Life Movement Must Prepare to Change Attitudes toward Adoption," 7 June 2019 Our First Amendment guarantees should enable us to engage in robust political debates without criminalizing our disagreements. — Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, "The Lessons of the Mueller Probe," 12 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'criminalize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for criminalize
criminalize
verb
English Language Learners Definition of criminalize
: to make (something) illegal
See the full definition for criminalize in the English Language Learners Dictionary
criminalize
transitive verb
crim·i·nal·ize
| \ ˈkri-mə-nə-ˌlīz
\
\
criminalized;
criminalizing
Legal Definition of criminalize
: to make criminal : outlaw
the statute criminalizing the use of contraceptives— R. H. Bork
— compare illegalize
Other Words from criminalize
criminalization
\ ˌkri-mə-nə-lə-ˈzā-shən, -ˌlī-
\
noun
\
noun