war crime

noun

: a crime (such as genocide or maltreatment of prisoners) committed during or in connection with war

—usually used in plural

war criminal noun

Examples of war crime in a Sentence

He was found guilty of torture and other war crimes.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Russian troops who killed the Ukrainian drone operators were later accused of committing war crimes. —Nina Turner, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024

As vice president, Harris has repeatedly condemned Russian war crimes in Ukraine. —Lena Surzhko Harned, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2024

To publish an article culminating in a charge of war crimes goes beyond the limits of decency. —Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

If children were deliberately targeted, that is absolutely monstrous and indisputably a war crime. —Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

war crime

noun

: an act committed usually during an international war for which individual criminal liability will be imposed by a domestic or international tribunal

specifically : a violation of the laws or customs of war as embodied or recognized by international treaty, court decisions, or established practice

—usually used in pl.

Note: Following World War II, the Charter of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg first codified war crimes including crimes against humanity. Also encompassed in the legal concept of war crimes is the crime of planning or waging a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties.