Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: CRIME

Date: 1200-1300
Language: Latin
Origin: crimen 'judgment, accusation, crime'

crime

 noun
     
crime S2 W2
1 [uncountable] illegal activities in generalCOLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
commit crime combat/fight crime turn to crime (=start committing crimes) crime rate (=the amount of crime that happens somewhere) crime figures/statistics crime prevention violent crime serious crime petty crime (=crime that is not very serious) car crime British English street crime victim of crime juvenile/youth crime (=by children and teenagers) tough on crime (=always punishing crime severely)
We moved here because there was very little crime.
Women commit far less crime than men.
Police officers are being given new powers to help combat crime.
the reasons why people turn to crime
a town with a relatively low crime rate
The latest crime figures show a drop in the number of robberies.
We need to focus more on crime prevention.
Violent crime is on the increase in the city.
There's been a rise in serious crime in the area.
He became involved in petty crime as a teenager.
a police crackdown on car crime
Street crime was rising rapidly in Moscow.
a new support group for victims of crime
Politicians are trying to appear tough on crime.
crime writer Ed McBain
! Do not say 'make/do (a) crime'. Use commit: Young men are more likely to commit crime. She has committed a terrible crime.
2 [countable] an illegal action, which can be punished by law:
He insisted that he had not committed any crime.
Rape is a very serious crime.
men who have been found guilty of violent crimes
crime against
Crimes against the elderly are becoming more common.
The City Council made it a crime to drink alcohol in the street.
Police are still busy hunting for clues at the scene of the crime (=where the crime happened).
3

a life of crime

when someone spends their life stealing and committing other crimes, in order to get money to live
4

the perfect crime

a crime that no one knows has been committed, so no one can be punished for it
5

crime of passion

a crime, especially murder, caused by sexual jealousy
6

crime against humanity

a crime of cruelty against large numbers of people, especially in a war
7

crime doesn't pay

used to say that crime does not give you any advantage, because you will be caught and punished - used when warning people not to get involved in crime
8 [singular] something that someone is blamed or criticized for doing - use this when you think someone is treated very unfairly [↪ sin]:
My only crime is that I fell in love with another girl.
Johnson's biggest crime was that he told the truth.
9

it's a crime

spoken said when you think something is very wrong, and someone should not do it:
It would be a crime to waste all that good food.

➔ partners in crime

at partner1 (5), white-collar (2)WORD FOCUS: crime WORD FOCUS: crime
crimes that involve stealing things: robbery, burglary, theft, shoplifting, fraud, carjacking
crimes that involve attacking people : assault, mugging, murder, rape
someone who commits crimes: criminal, thief, crook, burglar, mugger, robber, pickpocket, rapist, offender, lawbreakercrime ➔ criminal, offence, felony, misdemeanour, organized crime, war crime
Definition of crime from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic CRIME
Word of the Day
The CRIME
Word of the Day is:
pull

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