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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
Some had argued that removing the civilian population from Gaza is a war crime.
—
David Friedman, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2025
Despite racially discriminatory laws barring him from enlisting (and gaining citizenship), Josiah nonetheless joins an élite parachuting battalion and intervenes to prevent war crimes.
—
The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
An occupying power’s transfer of its population to occupied territory is a war crime, in violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, but successive Israeli governments have ignored that prohibition, and the U.S. government has kept billions of dollars of aid flowing anyway.
—
Kenneth Roth, TIME, 8 Feb. 2025
The United States participated in negotiations that led to the adoption of the Rome Statute that established the court as a tribunal of last resort to prosecute the world’s worst atrocities — war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide — if individual governments did not take action.
—
Darlene Superville, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025
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Word History
First Known Use
1906, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to war crime
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Cite this Entry
“War crime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war%20crime. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.
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.
More from Merriam-Webster on war crime
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about war crime
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