Criminal Activities Vocabulary

noun a place where people engage in sexual activity for payment

• The authorities conducted a raid on the suspected brothel in the downtown area.
• I heard there's a shady brothel operating on the outskirts of town.
• Stay away from that brothel, it's nothing but trouble.
• The rundown motel looked like a brothel from a bygone era.

noun a person who cheats or tricks others in card games; a professional card player skilled in cheating or trickery

• The cardsharp was able to manipulate the deck to his advantage during the poker game.
• Watch out for that cardsharp, he's always trying to cheat in card games.
• That cardsharp is a real hustler, always looking to make a quick buck.
• She was a cardsharp in negotiations, always finding a way to come out on top.

noun a bend, fold, or curl in something, typically hair or fabric

verb to press or squeeze into small regular folds or ridges

• The electrician used a crimping tool to secure the wires together.
• I had to crimp the edge of the pie crust to seal it.
• She crimped her hair for the '80s themed party.
• His strict rules really crimped our plans for the weekend.

noun a person, place, thing, or idea

adjective a word naming an attribute of a noun

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun

• The authorities shut down the house of ill repute after receiving multiple complaints from the community.
• I heard that there's a house of ill repute on the outskirts of town.
• Stay away from that sketchy place, it's a total house of ill repute.
• Some people consider social media to be a modern-day house of ill repute, filled with deceit and misinformation.

verb to leave quickly or suddenly, especially in order to escape

• The thief attempted to make off with the stolen jewels.
• I saw the shoplifter try to make off with a bunch of clothes.
• The robber made off with the cash from the register.
• She couldn't resist the temptation and decided to make off with the last piece of cake.

noun a person who makes and sells illegal alcohol, typically in rural areas

• The authorities arrested a moonshiner for illegally producing and selling alcohol.
• I heard that old man Joe is a moonshiner, making his own whiskey out in the woods.
• The moonshiner was caught red-handed with a still in his backyard.
• She was a moonshiner of ideas, always coming up with creative solutions to problems.

noun A criminal scheme in which money is extracted from businesses or individuals in exchange for protection from violence or other threats.

• The authorities have been cracking down on the protection racket operating in the city.
• I heard that Tony got caught up in a protection racket scheme.
• Don't get involved in that protection racket, it's bad news.
• The company's monopoly on the market is like a protection racket, stifling competition.

verb to move stealthily or in a sneaky manner

• The detective observed the suspect skulking in the alleyway.
• I saw that shady guy skulking around the corner.
• Why are you skulking around like a creep?
• His guilt was like a shadow, always skulking behind him.

noun a fraudulent scheme or action

verb to use deception to deprive someone of money or possessions

• The businessman was arrested for attempting to swindle investors out of millions of dollars.
• I can't believe he tried to swindle me with that fake designer handbag.
• She's always looking for a way to swindle people out of their money.
• His smooth talking and charm can easily swindle you into believing anything he says.

noun a person, place, thing, or idea

adjective describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

preposition shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

• The police are investigating a series of moped-enabled crimes in the city.
• Have you heard about the moped-enabled crime spree happening downtown?
• Those moped-enabled crooks are causing chaos around town.
• The rise in moped-enabled crime is like a dark cloud hanging over the neighborhood.

noun A word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. In this case, 'freight' is a noun that refers to goods or cargo being transported.

• Road freight crime poses a significant threat to the logistics industry.
• Have you heard about the recent road freight crime spree going on?
• Watch out for those road freight criminals, they're up to no good.
• Road freight crime is like a dark cloud hanging over the transportation sector.