Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense criminalizes, present participle criminalizing, past tense, past participle criminalizedregional note: in BRIT, also use criminalise
verb
If a government criminalizes an action or person, it officially declares that the action or the person's behaviour is illegal.
Every nation should criminalise malicious activities on computer networks. [VERB noun]
...a deliberate campaign to criminalise members of the former government. [VERB noun]
criminalize in British English
or criminalise (ˈkrɪmɪnəˌlaɪz)
verb(transitive)
1.
to make (an action or activity) criminal
2.
to treat (a person) as a criminal
Derived forms
criminalization (ˌcriminaliˈzation) or criminalisation (ˌcriminaliˈsation)
noun
criminalize in American English
(ˈkrɪmənəlˌaɪz)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈcriminalˌized or ˈcriminalˌizing