crime
noun /kraɪm/
/kraɪm/
- [uncountable] activities that involve breaking the law
- This month's figures show an increase in violent crime.
- There needs to be a partnership between police and public in the fight against crime.
- Stores spend more and more on crime prevention every year.
- DNA data is extremely useful in fighting serious crime.
- He began to drift into a life of petty crime (= crime that is not very serious).
- gun/knife crime
- a rise in street crime
- the connection between drugs and organized crime
- He turned to crime when he dropped out of school.
- The crime rate is rising.
- crime fiction/novels (= stories about crime)
- crime figures/statistics
- Victims of crime may be able to obtain compensation.
- She’s a crime writer (= she writes stories about crime).
Collocations Criminal justiceCriminal justiceBreaking the law- break/violate/obey/uphold the law
- be investigated/arrested/tried for a crime/a robbery/fraud
- be arrested/ (especially North American English) indicted/convicted on charges of rape/fraud/(especially US English) felony charges
- be arrested on suspicion of arson/robbery/shoplifting
- be accused of/be charged with murder/(especially North American English) homicide/four counts of fraud
- face two charges of indecent assault
- admit your guilt/liability/responsibility (for something)
- deny the allegations/claims/charges
- confess to a crime
- grant/be refused/be released on/skip/jump bail
- stand/await/bring somebody to/come to/be on trial
- take somebody to/come to/settle something out of court
- face/avoid/escape prosecution
- seek/retain/have the right to/be denied access to legal counsel
- hold/conduct/attend/adjourn a hearing/trial
- sit on/influence/persuade/convince the jury
- sit/stand/appear/be put/place somebody in the dock
- plead guilty/not guilty to a crime
- be called to/enter (British English) the witness box
- take/put somebody on the stand/(North American English) the witness stand
- call/subpoena/question/cross-examine a witness
- give/hear the evidence against/on behalf of somebody
- raise/withdraw/overrule an objection
- reach a unanimous/majority verdict
- return/deliver/record a verdict of not guilty/unlawful killing/accidental death
- convict/acquit the defendant of the crime
- secure a conviction/your acquittal
- lodge/file an appeal
- appeal (against)/challenge/uphold/overturn a conviction/verdict
- pass sentence on somebody
- carry/face/serve a seven-year/life sentence
- receive/be given the death penalty
- be sentenced to ten years (in prison/jail)
- carry/impose/pay a fine (of $3 000)/a penalty (of 14 years imprisonment)
- be imprisoned/jailed for drug possession/fraud/murder
- do/serve time/ten years
- be sent to/put somebody in/be released from jail/prison
- be/put somebody/spend X years on death row
- be granted/be denied/break (your) parole
Culture punishmentpunishmentPunishment for people who break the law is decided in a court of law. In the US, federal, state and local governments each have their own systems of law and of punishment. The Constitution does not permit ‘cruel and unusual punishment’, but it is the responsibility of the Supreme Court to decide whether a punishment is ‘cruel and unusual’. In Britain, the Scottish legal system is different from that in England and Wales, but methods of punishment are similar throughout Britain.When an accused person is found guilty of a crime, the judge decides what punishment they should suffer. In both Britain and the US the least serious offences are punished by fines (= financial payments) which must be paid to the court. Fines or fixed penalties (= fines at a level decided in advance) are often imposed for minor traffic offences such as parking where it is not permitted and can be paid without the need to go to court.If a fine is not considered enough of a punishment, a person may be sentenced to do community service (= work without pay in hospitals, homes for old people, etc.) or be put on probation (= required to have regular meetings with an official over a set period). When the crime committed is more serious, the convicted person (= person found guilty) is likely to be given a prison sentence. If it is their first offence (= the first time a person has broken the law) the sentence may be suspended (= only carried out if the person is found guilty of another crime) and the person is allowed to remain free on a conditional discharge.If a person is given a prison sentence, its length depends on how serious their crime is and on their past record (= the number of crimes they have committed). If a person thinks the sentence is too severe, they have the right to appeal against it in a higher court, which has the power to reduce the sentence. As a reward for good behaviour prisoners are often given remission (= are released early). Others get parole, which means that they can go free as long as they do not commit any further crimes. In the US the number of people on probation has increased in recent years, as there is not always room in prisons for all those given a prison sentence. A variety of non-custodial punishments (= ones not requiring time in prison) have been tried in both Britain and the US, including electronic tagging. This punishment requires people to wear a device that informs the police where they are.In Britain the maximum sentence that can be handed down (= decided) by a judge is a life sentence, which in fact usually means spending about 20-25 years in prison. The most serious punishment in the US is the death penalty. Not all states allow it, and, in those that do, there may be many years of appeals before it can be carried out.see also hate crime, true crimeWordfinder- abide by something
- court
- crime
- justice
- law
- legal
- police
- prosecute
- punish
- trial
Extra ExamplesTopics Crime and punishmenta2- We need to do more to tackle knife crime.
- Corporate crime—committed by businesses—should not be confused with white-collar crime, which refers to the occupation of the perpetrator and may be directed against a business.
- Fear of crime imprisons many elderly people in their homes.
- Gun crime is just part of an increasingly lawless society.
- He says that bored youngsters turn to crime.
- How can we reduce knife crime in our cities?
- Police forces will exchange ideas on cracking crime.
- The computers were sent to a crime lab for analysis.
- The public have a crucial role to play in detecting crime.
- Unemployed young people were likely to be tempted into a life of crime.
- a crackdown on drug-related crime
- a new short story by the popular crime writer
- a senior detective with the serious crime squad
- a time of great poverty and rampant crime
- attempts to prevent hacking and computer crime
- one of New York's biggest crime lords
- the country's crime problem
- the latest TV crime series
- the newspaper's crime reporter
- More needs to be done to help the victims of crime.
- She writes crime novels.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- serious
- petty
- non-violent
- …
- carry out
- commit
- perpetrate
- …
- double
- increase
- rise
- …
- figures
- level
- rate
- …
- a crackdown on crime
- crime and disorder
- crime and punishment
- …
- [countable] an illegal act or activity that can be punished by law
- There is no proof that he committed a crime (= did something illegal).
- In his mind he was about to commit the perfect crime.
- Arson is a serious crime.
- crime against something/somebody The massacre was a crime against humanity.
- crime of something Sometimes murder is a crime of passion.
- DNA testing can be used to solve old crimes.
- An abandoned car was found near the scene of the crime.
Collocations CrimeCrimeCommitting a crimesee also hate crime, scene-of-crime, war crime- commit a crime/a murder/a violent assault/a brutal killing/an armed robbery/fraud
- be involved in terrorism/a suspected arson attack/people smuggling/human trafficking
- engage/participate in criminal activity/illegal practices/acts of mindless vandalism
- steal somebody’s wallet/purse/(British English) mobile phone/(North American English) cell phone
- rob a bank/a person/a tourist
- break into/ (British English) burgle/ (North American English) burglarize a house/a home/an apartment
- hijack a plane/ship/bus
- smuggle drugs/weapons/arms/immigrants
- launder drug money (through something)
- forge documents/certificates/passports
- take/accept/pay somebody/offer (somebody) a bribe
- run a phishing/an email/an internet scam
- combat/fight crime/terrorism/corruption/drug trafficking
- prevent/stop credit-card fraud/child abuse/software piracy
- deter/stop criminals/burglars/thieves/shoplifters/vandals
- reduce/tackle/crack down on knife/gun/violent/street crime; (especially British English) antisocial behaviour
- foil a bank raid/a terrorist plot
- help/support/protect the victims of crime
- report a crime/a theft/a rape/an attack/(especially British English) an incident to the police
- witness the crime/attack/murder/incident
- investigate a murder/(especially North American English) a homicide/a burglary/a robbery/the alleged incident
- conduct/launch/pursue an investigation (into…); (especially British English) a police/murder inquiry
- investigate/reopen a criminal/murder case
- examine/investigate/find fingerprints at the crime scene/the scene of crime
- collect/gather forensic evidence
- uncover new evidence/a fraud/a scam/a plot/a conspiracy/political corruption/a cache of weapons
- describe/identify a suspect/the culprit/the perpetrator/the assailant/the attacker
- question/interrogate a suspect/witness
- solve/crack the case
Extra ExamplesTopics Crime and punishmenta2- Hate crimes are not punished severely enough in my opinion.
- He boasted of having carried out the perfect crime.
- He confessed his crime to his sister.
- He was charged with the lesser crime of possessing a forged bond, rather than actually forging it.
- He was charged with the lesser crime of possession.
- Insider dealing has been called a victimless crime.
- Many crimes are never reported to the police.
- No weapon was found at the scene of the crime.
- She claimed that the real crime is that burglars and muggers usually get a light sentence.
- She never faced trial for her many alleged crimes.
- The crime occurred in broad daylight.
- The punishment should fit the crime.
- a man who solves crimes using old-fashioned detective work
- a system of justice to prosecute crimes of terrorism
- an apparently motiveless crime
- crimes against humanity
- crimes involving firearms
- crimes punishable by death
- one of the most horrific crimes of recent times
- one of the most notorious crimes in British history
- the biggest crime since the Great Train Robbery
- the danger of copycat crimes in the wake of the shootings
- She had never committed a crime in her life.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- appalling
- awful
- bloody
- …
- carry out
- commit
- do
- …
- involve something
- happen
- occur
- …
- scene
- victim
- suspect
- …
- crime against
- a crime of passion
- a crime of violence
- the scene of the crime
- …
- a crime[singular] (informal) an act that you think is morally wrong or is a big mistake
- It's a crime to waste so much money.
- Not returning phone calls is a grave crime in today's culture.
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘wickedness, sin’): via Old French from Latin crimen ‘judgement, offence’, based on cernere ‘to judge’.