crime definition - Dictionary

Dictionary

crime [ krīm ] (plural crimes)

noun

Definition:

1. illegal act: an action prohibited by law or a failure to act as required by law

2. illegal activity: activity that involves breaking the law

measures to combat crime

3. immoral act: an act considered morally wrong

4. unacceptable act: a shameful, unwise, or regrettable act ( informal )

It's a crime the way some people waste food.

[13th century. Via French< Latin crimen (stem crimin-) "judgment" < cernere "decide"]

crime·less adjective

Cultural Note


	Crime and Punishment, a novel (1866) by Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Set in St. Petersburg, it describes how a young student, Raskolnikov, plans and carries out the murder of a woman pawnbroker, ostensibly for money, but in reality to prove that some individuals are above the law. Ultimately, however, his conscience forces him to confess his crime.