as in to outlaw
to make or declare contrary to the law
wanted to criminalize an activity that the mountaineers had been engaging in for generations
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Recent Examples of criminalize
Rustin served jail time and was posthumously pardoned Rustin was arrested 23 times, including a 1953 conviction in Pasadena, for vagrancy and lewd conduct — charges commonly used then to criminalize LGBTQ+ people.
—
Jaylen Green, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
Trump is unsurprisingly attracted to this paradise for the ultra-wealthy, where money is speech, labor is suppressed, dissent is criminalized and a monarch holds all power.
—Sonali Kolhatkar, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2025
Earlier on Friday, a western diplomat, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive information, said the inspectors had been withdrawn from the Islamic Republic because of a new law passed by Tehran that could potentially criminalize international nuclear monitoring.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 5 July 2025
In 2023 South Carolina passed a bill called Gavin's Law that criminalized extorting minors or at-risk adults.
—Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
Jaylen Green, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
Trump is unsurprisingly attracted to this paradise for the ultra-wealthy, where money is speech, labor is suppressed, dissent is criminalized and a monarch holds all power.
—Sonali Kolhatkar, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2025
Earlier on Friday, a western diplomat, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive information, said the inspectors had been withdrawn from the Islamic Republic because of a new law passed by Tehran that could potentially criminalize international nuclear monitoring.
—Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 5 July 2025
In 2023 South Carolina passed a bill called Gavin's Law that criminalized extorting minors or at-risk adults.
—Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for criminalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminalize
Verb
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The Senate has passed legislation to outlaw courier companies in Texas, and a separate proposal to ban the bulk purchase of lottery tickets is awaiting the chamber's consideration.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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The City Council outlawed building backyard apartments on property lines in April 2022, but the new rule couldn’t take effect in the city’s coastal neighborhoods without a second approval from the California Coastal Commission.—
David Garrick,
Mercury News,
30 July 2025
Verb
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Schaumburg, for example, allows low-speed e-bikes on the same paths as traditional bikes, but Highland Park has banned some of those same bikes from its trails.—
Paulina Czupryna,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
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The bill also bans interest payments on stablecoins and imposes strict anti-money-laundering and sanctions compliance, with restrictions on executives with financial crime convictions.—
Becca Bratcher,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Criminalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalize. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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