Crime And Punishment Vocabulary

noun a person who is addicted to a particular substance or activity

verb to cause someone to become addicted to a particular substance or activity

• The psychiatrist is treating a patient who is a drug addict.
• My cousin is addicted to playing video games all day.
• I used to be a coffee addict but now I've switched to tea.
• She's a self-confessed book addict, always with her nose in a new novel.

noun a person who assists or supports someone in a wrongful act

verb to assist or support someone in a wrongful act

• The suspect was charged with aiding and abetting the criminal organization.
• I can't believe he would aid and abet in such a serious crime.
• Don't be a fool and aid and abet in their shady dealings.
• His silence only served to aid and abet the spread of false rumors.

verb to understand or perceive something

• The police were able to apprehend the suspect after a lengthy investigation.
• The cops finally caught the guy they were after.
• The authorities nabbed the criminal before he could escape.
• I could feel the truth trying to apprehend me as I struggled to deny it.

noun A word used to name a person, place, thing, or idea. 'Charges' is a noun referring to the formal accusations made against someone in a legal context.

verb A word used to describe an action or state of being. In this case, 'bring' is the verb indicating the action of bringing charges.

• The prosecutor has decided to bring charges against the suspect for embezzlement.
• They finally decided to press charges against him for stealing from the company.
• They're gonna slap charges on him for that stunt he pulled.
• Her words were like a weapon, ready to bring charges against anyone who dared to challenge her.

noun a legal process where a person is sentenced to death for a crime they have committed

• The debate on whether to abolish capital punishment continues among lawmakers.
• Some people believe that capital punishment is necessary for serious crimes.
• I heard they're bringing back capital punishment in that state.
• In the court of public opinion, cancel culture can be seen as a form of social capital punishment.

noun a person who has committed a crime

adjective relating to crime or criminals

• The criminal was sentenced to ten years in prison for his actions.
• The guy who robbed the bank got caught and is now a criminal.
• That dude is a total criminal, always up to no good.
• His reckless behavior was criminal in nature, causing harm to those around him.

verb to cut off the head of; behead

• The executioner decapitated the criminal with a single swift stroke of the sword.
• I can't believe they decapitated the main character in that show!
• If you mess with him, he'll decapitate you, no questions asked.
• The new policy effectively decapitated the power of the board members.

noun a period of time spent in prison as a punishment for a crime

• The convicted criminal will have to do time in prison for their actions.
• I heard that John got caught stealing and now he has to do time in jail.
• If you get caught, you'll have to do some serious time behind bars.
• Sometimes we have to do time in difficult situations before things get better.

verb to obtain something by force, threats, or unfair means

• The criminal attempted to extort money from the business owner by threatening to harm his family.
• The bully tried to extort lunch money from the younger students at school.
• The scammer was trying to extort some quick cash from unsuspecting victims.
• The difficult situation seemed to extort all of her energy and emotions.

noun a serious crime, typically punishable by imprisonment or death

adjective related to or constituting a felony

• Committing a felony can result in serious legal consequences.
• If you get caught stealing, you could be charged with a felony.
• Don't do anything stupid that could land you a felony charge.
• Betraying your friends is like committing a felony against trust.

verb to run away quickly from a dangerous or unpleasant situation

• The villagers had to flee their homes due to the impending volcanic eruption.
• We need to flee this party before it gets too boring.
• Let's bounce and flee this scene, it's getting too crowded.
• When faced with difficult emotions, some people tend to flee into distractions like excessive work or substance abuse.

noun something that is forfeited; a penalty or fine

• The judge ordered the forfeiture of the defendant's assets as part of the penalty for the crime.
• They had to give up their car as forfeiture for breaking the law.
• He had to hand over his phone as forfeit for losing the bet.
• The company's reputation was at risk of forfeiture if they didn't address the scandal quickly.

verb to show that someone is involved in a crime or a dishonest act

adjective having been shown to be involved in a crime or a dishonest act

• The evidence clearly implicated him in the crime.
• They found fingerprints that implicated him.
• He got implicated in the whole mess.
• Her actions implicated her in the scandal.

adjective describing something that is capable of being indicted or charged with a crime

• The suspect was charged with multiple indictable offenses.
• He's facing some serious indictable charges.
• They caught him red-handed with some indictable stuff.
• Her actions were morally indictable in nature.

noun a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime

• The grand jury handed down an indictment against the suspect.
• The suspect got hit with an indictment from the grand jury.
• The grand jury dropped an indictment on the suspect.
• The indictment served as a wake-up call for the suspect.

noun the act of putting someone in jail

verb to put someone in jail

• The judge issued a jailing order for the criminal after the trial.
• They're jailing him for a year for stealing from the store.
• The cops are jailing that guy for causing a ruckus at the party.
• Her fear was like jailing herself in a cage of anxiety.

noun the action of unlawfully seizing and carrying away a person by force or fraud, or seizing and detaining a person against their will

• The police are investigating a case of kidnapping that occurred last night.
• Did you hear about the kidnapping in town? It's really scary.
• That kidnapping was a real messed up situation.
• The company's aggressive marketing tactics could be seen as a form of kidnapping customers' attention.

noun a person who breaks the law

• The lawbreaker was apprehended by the authorities and taken into custody.
• That lawbreaker got caught red-handed by the cops.
• The lawbreaker is in deep trouble now.
• He was a lawbreaker of the heart, breaking all the rules of love.

adjective a word that describes or gives more information about a noun or pronoun; in this case, 'perjured' describes someone who has committed perjury

• The witness was charged with perjured testimony during the trial.
• She got caught perjured herself on the stand.
• He straight up perjured when he said he wasn't there.
• His promises turned out to be as perjured as his oath in court.

noun a formal accusation of a crime made by a prosecutor or law enforcement

verb to officially accuse someone of committing a crime

• The prosecutor will decide whether to prefer charges against the suspect.
• The police might prefer charges if they have enough evidence.
• If they catch him red-handed, they'll definitely prefer charges.
• In the court of public opinion, people may prefer charges even before the legal process begins.

verb to bring a criminal action against someone in a court of law

• The district attorney decided to prosecute the suspect for embezzlement.
• The police are going to prosecute that guy for stealing.
• They're gonna prosecute him for pulling that stunt.
• Her guilt was so overwhelming that she felt like her conscience was prosecuting her.

adjective describing someone caught in the act of committing a crime or wrongdoing

• The suspect was caught red handed stealing from the store.
• I saw him red handed taking the last cookie from the jar.
• She got caught red handed cheating on the test.
• The evidence left him red handed with no way to deny his involvement.

noun a person who secretly gives information to the authorities or to someone in authority

verb to inform on someone; to secretly give information to the authorities or to someone in authority

• The witness decided to come forward and report the crime, acting as a snitch in the investigation.
• I heard that Sarah was the snitch who told the teacher about our plan to skip class.
• Don't be a snitch and tell mom about the party we're planning.
• The leak in the company was like a snitch, revealing confidential information to competitors.

noun A slang term for extinguishing or putting out a flame or light.

verb To extinguish or put out a flame or light abruptly.

• The firefighters were able to quickly snuff out the small blaze before it spread to the neighboring buildings.
• I saw a spider crawling on the wall and I snuffed it out with a tissue.
• I heard that rumor about him cheating on his girlfriend, but he managed to snuff it out before it caused any drama.
• Despite facing many obstacles, she refused to let anyone snuff out her dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur.

adjective describing something that is not allowed by law

• Engaging in unlawful activities can result in serious legal consequences.
• You shouldn't do anything unlawful if you don't want to get in trouble.
• It's not cool to be involved in any unlawful stuff, man.
• Breaking the rules is like walking down the path of unlawful actions.

adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb to indicate the manner in which something is done

• The storm hit the coast violently, causing extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure.
• The two cars collided violently at the intersection, resulting in a loud crash.
• He was so angry that he punched the wall violently, leaving a hole in it.
• Her words hit him violently, shattering his confidence and leaving him feeling vulnerable.

noun a plural form of the word 'acusia', which refers to the loss of the ability to hear sounds normally

• The lawyer presented compelling evidence to refute the acusiae against his client.
• I heard there are some acusiae floating around about that new employee.
• Don't believe all those acusiae, they're just rumors.
• Her sharp words were like acusiae, piercing through his defenses.

verb to cause fear, alarm, or confusion; to disturb or trouble

• The authorities were called to the scene to break up the affraying crowd.
• The party turned into a bit of an affraying mess after a few drinks.
• Things got real affraying at the club last night.
• The conflicting opinions in the meeting were affraying and led to a heated discussion.