criminalize
verb
crim·i·nal·ize
ˈkri-mə-nə-ˌlīz 
ˈkrim-nə-ˌlīz
criminalized; criminalizing
: to make illegal
also
: to turn into a criminal or treat as criminal
Examples of criminalize in a Sentence
a law that criminalized alcohol
wanted to criminalize an activity that the mountaineers had been engaging in for generations
Recent Examples on the Web
The Mann Act criminalizes transporting people across state lines for immoral purposes.
—
John Annese, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2025
Trump also recently signed executive orders restricting transgender participation in the military, criminalizing gender-affirming medical care for people under 19, and forbidding the use of nonbinary gender markers on federal documents.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 6 Feb. 2025
To that end, a 2021 report by the National Homelessness Law Center found that 48 states have laws criminalizing homelessness such as fines for sleeping on benches, sidewalks, or in public parks.
—Leah Goodridge, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025
That’s the same year that immigrants and their advocates – including those in the Bay Area – marched by the millions to oppose a proposal in Congress that would have criminalized undocumented status, in one of the largest protest movements in modern U.S. history.
—Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
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John Annese, New York Daily News, 12 Feb. 2025
Trump also recently signed executive orders restricting transgender participation in the military, criminalizing gender-affirming medical care for people under 19, and forbidding the use of nonbinary gender markers on federal documents.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 6 Feb. 2025
To that end, a 2021 report by the National Homelessness Law Center found that 48 states have laws criminalizing homelessness such as fines for sleeping on benches, sidewalks, or in public parks.
—Leah Goodridge, TIME, 27 Jan. 2025
That’s the same year that immigrants and their advocates – including those in the Bay Area – marched by the millions to oppose a proposal in Congress that would have criminalized undocumented status, in one of the largest protest movements in modern U.S. history.
—Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
Cite this Entry
“Criminalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criminalize. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
criminalize
transitive verb
crim·i·nal·ize
ˈkri-mə-nə-ˌlīz
criminalized; criminalizing
: to make criminal : outlaw
the statute criminalizing the use of contraceptives—R. H. Bork
compare illegalize
R. H. BorkLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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