criminal

criminal

I

crim‧i‧nal¹ S3 W2 /ˈkrɪmənəl, ˈkrɪmɪnəl/ adjective1. relating to crime:
    Experts cannot agree on the causes of criminal behaviour.
    I was sure he was involved in some kind of criminal activity.
    She has not committed a criminal offence (=a crime).
    He was arrested and charged with criminal damage (=damaging someone’s property illegally).
    The doctor was found guilty of criminal negligence (=not taking enough care to protect people you are responsible for).
2. relating to the part of the legal system that is concerned with crime ⇨ civil:
    The case will be tried in a criminal court.
    We have no faith in the criminal justice system.
    The police are investigating the matter, and he may face criminal charges (=be officially accused of a crime).
    She usually deals with serious criminal cases.
    a criminal lawyer
3. wrong, dishonest, and unacceptable
   SYN  wicked:
    It seems criminal that teachers are paid so little money.
—criminally adverb:
    a hospital for the criminally insane
—criminality /ˌkrɪməˈnæləti, ˌkrɪmɪˈnæləti/ noun [uncountable]
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 1)

■ nouns
   ▪ criminal activity There was no evidence of any criminal activity.
   ▪ a criminal offence/act (=a crime) Cruelty to animals is a criminal offence.
   ▪ criminal behaviour Is it possible that the tendency to criminal behaviour is inherited?
   ▪ criminal wrongdoing American English (=actions that are illegal) The investigation cleared him of any criminal wrongdoing.
   ▪ criminal damage British English (=damaging someone's property illegally) He was charged with criminal damage to his boss's car.
   ▪ criminal negligence (=not taking enough care to protect people you are responsible for) Charges of criminal negligence were brought against senior staff.
   ▪ a criminal investigation (=when a possible crime is investigated) The FBI is conducting a criminal investigation into the bombing.
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 2)

■ nouns
   ▪ the criminal justice system How effective is our criminal justice system?
   ▪ criminal law I’m more interested in criminal law than civil law.
   ▪ a criminal charge (=an official accusation that someone has committed a crime) He’s been arrested on a very serious criminal charge.
   ▪ a criminal record (=a record, kept by the police, of the crimes someone has committed) It can be hard for someone with a criminal record to find work.
   ▪ a criminal case The crown court usually deals with criminal cases.
   ▪ a criminal trial His year-long criminal trial ended in October.
   ▪ criminal proceedings (=actions to deal with criminals, such as charging people with crimes or bringing them to trial) Criminal proceedings have been started against the officers connected with the events.
   ▪ a criminal court The trial will take place in an international criminal court.
   ▪ a criminal lawyer (=who deals with criminal cases)

II

criminal² noun [countable]someone who is involved in illegal activities or has been proved guilty of a crime ⇨ offender:
    Police have described the man as a violent and dangerous criminal.
    a convicted criminal (=someone who has been found guilty of a crime)
    The new law will ensure that habitual criminals (=criminals who commit crimes repeatedly) receive tougher punishments than first-time offenders.
    Teenagers should not be sent to prison to mix with hardened criminals (=criminals who have committed and will continue to commit a lot of crimes).
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ criminal someone who is involved in illegal activities or has been proved guilty of a crime. Criminal is used especially about someone who often does things that are illegal: Criminals are stealing people's credit card details off the Internet. | He is one of the most wanted criminals in the United States.
   ▪ offender someone who breaks the law: The courts should impose tougher punishments on offenders. | a special prison for young offenders
   ▪ crook informal a dishonest person, especially one who steals money and who you cannot trust: Some politicians are crooks, but not all of them. | They're just a bunch of crooks.
   ▪ felon law especially American English someone who has committed a serious crime: Convicted felons should not be allowed to profit from their crimes.
   ▪ the culprit the person who has done something wrong or illegal: The culprits were never found. | If I ever catch the culprit, he or she is in big trouble. | The culprits were just six years old.
   ▪ delinquent a young person who behaves badly and is likely to commit crimes - used especially in the phrase juvenile delinquent: He later worked with juvenile delinquents in a Florida youth services program.
   ▪ accomplice someone who helps a criminal to do something illegal: Police believe the murderer must have had an accomplice.
■ different types of criminal
   ▪ thief someone who steals things: Car thieves have been working in the area. | The thieves stole over £5,000 worth of jewellery.
   ▪ robber someone who steals money or valuable things from a bank, shop etc – used especially when someone sees the person who is stealing: a masked robber armed with a shotgun | They were the most successful bank robbers in US history.
   ▪ burglar someone who goes into people’s homes in order to steal: The burglars broke in through a window.
   ▪ shoplifter someone who takes things from shops without paying for them: The cameras have helped the store catch several shoplifters.
   ▪ pickpocket someone who steals things from people’s pockets, especially in a crowd: A sign warned that pickpockets were active in the station.
   ▪ conman/fraudster someone who deceives people in order to get money or things: Conmen tricked the woman into giving them her savings, as an ‘investment’.
   ▪ forger someone who illegally copies official documents, money, artworks etc: a forger who fooled museum curators
   ▪ counterfeiter someone who illegally copies money, official documents, or goods: Counterfeiters in Colombia are printing almost perfect dollar bills.
   ▪ pirate someone who illegally copies and sells another person’s work: DVD pirates
   ▪ mugger someone who attacks and robs people in public places: Muggers took his money and mobile phone.
   ▪ murderer someone who deliberately kills someone else: His murderer was sentenced to life imprisonment. | the murderer of civil rights activist Medgar Evers | He is a mass murderer (=someone who kills a large number of people).
   ▪ serial killer someone who kills several people, one after the other over a period of time, in a similar way: Shipman was a trusted family doctor who became Britain's worst serial killer.
   ▪ rapist someone who forces someone else to have sex: Some rapists drug their victims so that they become unconscious.
   ▪ sex offender someone who is guilty of a crime related to sex: Too many sex offenders are released from prison early.
   ▪ vandal someone who deliberately damages public property: Vandals broke most of the school’s windows.
   ▪ arsonist someone who deliberately sets fire to a building: The warehouse fire may have been the work of an arsonist.