- 1[uncountable] activities that involve breaking the law an increase in violent crime the fight against crime Stores spend more and more on crime prevention every year. petty/serious 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 She's a crime writer (= she writes stories about crime). Topic CollocationsCriminal Justicebreaking the law
- break/violate/obey/uphold the law
- be investigated/arrested/tried for a crime/a robbery/fraud
- be arrested/indicted/convicted on felony charges/on charges of rape/fraud
- be arrested on suspicion of arson/robbery/shoplifting
- be accused of/be charged with murder/homicide/four counts of fraud
- face two charges of assault and battery
- admit your guilt/liability/responsibility (for something)
- deny the allegations/claims/charges
- confess to a crime
- be granted/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/advise a jury
- stand/appear/be brought before a judge
- plead guilty/not guilty to a crime
- be called to/take/put somebody on the stand/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 guilty/not guilty
- convict/acquit the defendant of the crime
- secure a conviction/your acquittal
- lodge/file an appeal
- appeal (against)/challenge/uphold/overturn a conviction/verdict
- sentence somebody to 5 years in prison/2 years' probation
- 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 13 years on death row
- be granted/be denied/violate (your) parole
- ⇨ more collocations at crime
- 2[countable] crime (against somebody) an illegal act or activity that can be punished by law to commit a crime (= do something illegal) The massacre was a crime against humanity. In his mind he was about to commit the perfect crime. see war crime
- 3a crime [singular] an act that you think is immoral or is a big mistake It's a crime to waste so much money.
- commit a crime/a murder/a violent assault/a brutal killing/an armed robbery/fraud/perjury
- be involved in terrorism/a suspected arson attack/human smuggling/human trafficking
- engage/participate in criminal activity/illegal practices/acts of mindless vandalism
- steal somebody's wallet/purse/watch/cell phone
- rob a bank/a person/a tourist
- break into/burglarize a house/a home/an apartment/an office
- hijack a plane/ship/bus
- smuggle drugs/weapons/arms/people/immigrants
- launder (drug) money (through something)
- forge documents/certificates/passports
- take/accept/pay somebody/offer (somebody) a bribe
- run a phishing scam/an e-mail scam/an Internet scam
- combat/fight crime/terrorism/drug trafficking/corruption
- prevent/stop credit-card fraud/child abuse/software piracy
- deter/stop criminals/burglars/thieves/shoplifters/vandals
- reduce/tackle/crack down on gun/violent/street/property crime
- foil a bank robbery/a terrorist plot
- help/support/protect the victims of crime
- report a crime/a theft/a rape/an attack/an incident to the police
- witness a crime/an attack/a murder/an incident
- investigate a murder/a homicide/a burglary/a robbery/the alleged incident
- conduct/launch/pursue/open an investigation (into…)
- investigate/reopen a criminal/murder case
- examine/investigate/find fingerprints at the crime scene/the scene of crime
- collect/gather forensic evidence/physical evidence
- uncover/discover 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
- ⇨ more collocations at note at justice
Check pronunciation: crime