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Webster 1913 Edition

Crime

Crime

(krīm)
,
Noun.
[F.
crime
, fr. L.
crimen
judicial decision, that which is subjected to such a decision, charge, fault, crime, fr. the root of
cernere
to decide judicially. See
Certain
.]
1.
Any violation of law, either divine or human; an omission of a duty commanded, or the commission of an act forbidden by law.
2.
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.
“To part error from crime.”
Tennyson.
☞ Crimes, in the English common law, are grave offenses which were originally capitally punished (murder, rape, robbery, arson, burglary, and larceny), as distinguished from misdemeanors, which are offenses of a lighter grade. See
Misdemeanors
.
3.
Any great wickedness or sin; iniquity.
No
crime
was thine, if ’tis no
crime
to love.
Pope.
4.
That which occasion crime.
[Obs.]
The tree of life, the
crime
of our first father's fall.
Spenser.
Syn. – Sin; vice; iniquity; wrong.
–
Crime
,
Sin
,
Vice
. Sin is the generic term, embracing wickedness of every kind, but specifically denoting an offense as committed against God. Crime is strictly a violation of law either human or divine; but in present usage the term is commonly applied to actions contrary to the laws of the State. Vice is more distinctively that which springs from the inordinate indulgence of the natural appetites, which are in themselves innocent. Thus intemperance, unchastity, duplicity, etc., are vices; while murder, forgery, etc., which spring from the indulgence of selfish passions, are crimes.

Webster 1828 Edition

Crime

CRIME

,
Noun.
[L., Gr. , to separate, to judge, to decree, to condemn.]
1.
An act which violates a law, divine or human; an act which violates a rule of moral duty; an offense against the laws of right, prescribed by God or man, or against any rule of duty plainly implied in those laws. A crime may consist in omission or neglect, as well as in commission, or positive transgression. The commander of a fortress who suffers the enemy to take possession by neglect, is as really criminal, as one who voluntarily opens the gates without resistance.
But in a more common and restricted sense, a crime denotes an offense, or violation of public law, of a deeper and more atrocious nature; a public wrong; or a violation of the commands of God, and the offenses against the laws made to preserve the public rights; as treason, murder, robbery, theft, arson, &c. The minor wrongs committed against individuals or private rights, are denominated trespasses, and the minor wrongs against public rights are called misdemeanors. Crimes and misdemeanors are punishable by indictment, information or public prosecution; trespasses or private injuries, at the suit of the individuals injured. But in many cases an act is considered both as a public offense and a trespass, and is punishable both by the public and the individual injured.
2.
Any great wickedness; iniquity; wrong.
No crime was thing, if tis no crime to love.
Capital crime, a crime punishable with death.

Definition 2024

crime

crime

English

Noun

crime ‎(countable and uncountable, plural crimes)

  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 Pope
      No crime was thine, if 'tis no crime to love.
  5. (obsolete) That which occasions crime.
    • Spenser
      the 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

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

crime ‎(third-person singular simple present crimes, present participle criming, simple past and past participle crimed)

  1. (nonstandard, rare) To commit crime(s).
    • 1987, Robert Sampson, Yesterday's Faces: From the Dark Side (ISBN 0879723637), page 61:
      If, during the 1920s, the master criminal was a gamester, criming for self expression, during the 1930s he performed in other ways for other purposes.

See also

French

Etymology

From Latin crīmen.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kʁim/

Noun

crime m ‎(plural crimes)

  1. crime
    Le crime ne paie pas.
  2. murder, homicide

Related terms

Anagrams

Portuguese

Etymology

From French crime, from Latin crīmen.

Pronunciation

Noun

crime m (plural crimes)

  1. crime
    O ladrão cometeu um crime horrível.‎
    The thief committed a terrible crime.

Quotations

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:crime.

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɹaɪm/
  • Rhymes: -aɪm

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