Meaning

(transitive) To make (something) a crime; to make illegal under criminal law; to ban..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To make (something) a crime; to make illegal under criminal law; to ban.
2. (transitive) To treat as a criminal.

Example Sentences

"Ag-gag laws criminalize undercover investigations by prohibiting one or more of three types of behavior: trespass, recording of videos, and failure to submit a video to law enforcement."

The Nixon campaign in 1968[…] had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. […] [B]y getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities.

Advocates for homeless people, the American Psychiatric Association and several left-leaning states, including New York, Illinois and Minnesota, argue that criminalizing homelessness only worsens the problem.

A group of homeless residents sued the city, challenging the ordinances and contending that the local laws essentially criminalized homelessness.

Italy passed a law on Wednesday that criminalizes seeking surrogacy abroad, a move the country’s conservative government said would protect women’s dignity, while critics see it as yet another crackdown by the government on L.G.B.T. families, as the law will make it virtually impossible for gay fathers to have children.

Word Forms

• criminalizes
• criminalizing
• criminalized
• criminalise

Synonyms for criminalize

Antonyms for criminalize

Related Words

When Should You Use Criminalize?

Use criminalize when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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