criminalize
verb/ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪz/
/ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪz/
(British English also criminalise)
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they criminalize | /ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪz/ /ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪz/ |
| he / she / it criminalizes | /ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪzɪz/ /ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪzɪz/ |
| past simple criminalized | /ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪzd/ /ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪzd/ |
| past participle criminalized | /ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪzd/ /ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪzd/ |
| -ing form criminalizing | /ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪzɪŋ/ /ˈkrɪmɪnəlaɪzɪŋ/ |
- criminalize something to make something illegal by passing a new law
- The use of opium was not criminalized until fairly recently.
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- criminalize somebody to make somebody a criminal by making their activities illegal
- The law criminalized parents who took their children out of school to go on holiday.
Check pronunciation:
criminalize