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 conflict has been marked by atrocities including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the United Nations and international rights groups. —Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2024

In May, Biden held up a shipment of 3,500 bombs, and an international panel of experts recommended arrest warrants be issued for leaders of Hamas and Israel for war crimes and crimes against humanity. —Monica Potts, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2024

To head operations before and during the Olympics, the agency turned to Mykola Lebed, a man accused of war crimes during World War II. —Erik Ofgang, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Aug. 2024

No serious observer would contend that the Allies committed genocide against Germans during World War II. German fatalities instead occurred as a result of the Allied waging of a manifestly defensive war to bring an end to aggression, war crimes, and genocide perpetrated by Germany. —Eli M. Rosenbaum, New York Daily News, 11 Aug. 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.