as in offenders
a person who has committed a crime
car thieves, pickpockets, burglars, and other criminals
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Recent Examples of criminals
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican running in the 2026 race for governor, said the ban showed Newsom and Democratic lawmakers care more about the safety of criminals than officers.
—
Gerardo Zavala, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
The majority of people in this field did not set out to be criminals.
—Chris Wysopal, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Those criminals aren’t hypothetical.
—Amy Reichert, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2025
While officials have stressed that dangerous criminals are being targeted, federal data show that many detainees have no criminal record at all.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Evidence produced by the ISIS Prisons Museum has already been used in a German court to convict war criminals.
—Robin Yassin-Kassab, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Local leaders like Wences claim immigrants are wrongfully being detained by federal agents looking to root out violent criminals.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Surveillance video of Zarutska's stabbing has gone viral, sparking debate about how criminals are handled and public safety.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Lawmakers in many states have changed the rules in recent decades to protect winners from being targeted by criminals and unscrupulous people asking for money.
—Safiyah Riddle, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
Gerardo Zavala, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
The majority of people in this field did not set out to be criminals.
—Chris Wysopal, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Those criminals aren’t hypothetical.
—Amy Reichert, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2025
While officials have stressed that dangerous criminals are being targeted, federal data show that many detainees have no criminal record at all.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Evidence produced by the ISIS Prisons Museum has already been used in a German court to convict war criminals.
—Robin Yassin-Kassab, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Local leaders like Wences claim immigrants are wrongfully being detained by federal agents looking to root out violent criminals.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Surveillance video of Zarutska's stabbing has gone viral, sparking debate about how criminals are handled and public safety.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Lawmakers in many states have changed the rules in recent decades to protect winners from being targeted by criminals and unscrupulous people asking for money.
—Safiyah Riddle, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for criminals
offenders
Noun
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Just this morning, DHS took violent offenders off the streets with arrests for assault, DUI, and felony stalking.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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Instead of a sense of outrage leading to a search for a better solution for repeat violent offenders, her death generated calls for collective retribution and vigilante justice.—
Zeynep Tufekci,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Criminals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminals. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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