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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But Wirz’s trial represented the origin of modern prosecution of war crimes. Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026 Ukraine has also accused him of war crimes in Syria. Anna Chernova, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026 Tracy stars as Haywood, the chief judge who seeks to understand how the war crimes of the Holocaust crimes could have happened, especially defendant Ernst Janning (Burt Lancaster), a legal scholar and jurist. Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2026 Organized by the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, the three-day event was meant to expose the public to the atrocities and war crimes committed by the United States during the Vietnam War. Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 30 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for war crime

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of war crime was in 1871

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Cite this Entry

“War crime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war%20crime. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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.

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