Criminal Law Terminology

noun a person who helps another commit a crime or wrongdoing

• The police were able to arrest the main suspect and his accomplice in the robbery case.
• He couldn't have pulled off the prank without his accomplice by his side.
• The duo were caught red-handed by the cops, with one of them turning on their accomplice for a lighter sentence.
• Fear can be an accomplice to self-doubt, holding you back from pursuing your dreams.

noun a violent physical or verbal attack

verb to make a physical or verbal attack

• The suspect was charged with assault and battery.
• I heard there was an assault at the party last night.
• Don't mess with him, he'll assault you if you make him mad.
• The harsh criticism felt like a verbal assault on her character.

noun the act of entering a building illegally with the intent to commit a crime, typically theft

adjective burglary does not have an applicable adjective

adverb burglary does not have an applicable adverb

pronoun burglary does not have an applicable pronoun

preposition burglary does not have an applicable preposition

conjunction burglary does not have an applicable conjunction

interjection burglary does not have an applicable interjection

article burglary does not have an applicable article

• The police are investigating the burglary that took place last night.
• Did you hear about the burglary at the neighbor's house?
• That burglary was a real bummer, man.
• The burglary of her heart left him feeling empty and alone.

noun a person who conspires with others to commit an illegal or wrongful act

• The coconspirator was found guilty of participating in the criminal scheme.
• They caught the coconspirator red-handed during the heist.
• The coconspirator was in cahoots with the main suspect.
• She felt like a coconspirator in their plan to overthrow the company.

noun a person who makes counterfeit money or goods

• The police were able to apprehend the counterfeiter before he could distribute any fake currency.
• I heard that the counterfeiter got caught trying to pass off fake bills at the store.
• The counterfeiter was busted trying to sell some phony money on the street.
• His lies and deceit made him a true counterfeiter of trust in our relationship.

noun an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law

• The suspect was charged with committing a serious crime.
• I can't believe he got away with that crime!
• She's always up to some shady crime.
• Ignoring climate change is a crime against future generations.

noun the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats

• The businessman was charged with extortion for threatening to reveal damaging information unless he was paid a large sum of money.
• The mob boss is known for his extortion tactics, always demanding money in exchange for 'protection'.
• The scam artist was caught trying to pull an extortion scheme on unsuspecting victims.
• The company's strict policies felt like a form of extortion, as employees were forced to comply or face consequences.

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.

noun an act of groping, especially sexual harassment

verb to feel about or search blindly or uncertainly with the hands

• The security guard was accused of attempting to grope a female employee.
• I can't believe he tried to grope her at the party last night.
• He got kicked out of the club for trying to grope one of the dancers.
• The company's competitors are always trying to grope for any weaknesses in our product line.

adjective extremely wicked or shockingly evil

• The judge sentenced the criminal to life in prison for his heinous crimes.
• I can't believe he did something so heinous!
• That was a seriously heinous act.
• The heinous storm wreaked havoc on the town.

verb to train a pet to urinate and defecate outside of the house

• The suspect was charged with attempting to housebreak in the affluent neighborhood.
• I heard that someone tried to housebreak into Mrs. Smith's house last night.
• Don't even think about housebreaking into that place, it's heavily guarded.
• The new technology is designed to housebreak into the market and dominate the competition.

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 commits murder, the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another.

• The jury found the defendant guilty of being a murderer.
• Everyone in town knows he's a murderer.
• That guy is a straight-up murderer.
• His betrayal was like a dagger in the back, making him a murderer of trust.

noun An overt act is a physical action or behavior that is open, observable, and not hidden or secret.

adjective The word 'overt' describes something that is clearly shown or easily observable.

• The prosecution must prove that the defendant committed an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.
• The cops caught him red-handed while he was in the middle of an overt act.
• He got busted while trying to pull off that overt act.
• His decision to quit his job was seen as an overt act of rebellion against the company.

noun the act of killing one's father, mother, or other close relative

• The man was charged with parricide after murdering his own father.
• I can't believe he committed parricide, that's just messed up.
• Dude, that guy is a total parricide, he killed his own family member.
• Betraying your own principles is a form of intellectual parricide.

noun the act of killing one's father

• The man was arrested and charged with patricide after evidence linked him to his father's murder.
• I can't believe he committed patricide, that's just unthinkable.
• He was caught red-handed for patricide, dude's messed up.
• The company's decision to shut down the project was seen as patricide by many employees.

noun the act of pursuing or harassing someone in a menacing way

verb to pursue or approach stealthily in a menacing or threatening manner

• The act of stalking someone is a serious criminal offense.
• I heard she's been stalking her ex-boyfriend on social media.
• He's been low-key stalking her Instagram for weeks now.
• The feeling of fear was stalking her like a shadow, always present.

noun goods - items or products that are being bought or sold

adjective stolen - taken without permission or unlawfully

• The police recovered a large amount of stolen goods during the raid.
• I heard they found a bunch of stolen goods in that guy's house.
• The cops busted him with a load of hot merchandise.
• Her heart felt like a storeroom of stolen goods, full of things taken without permission.

noun the condition of being strangled or choked

• The cause of death was determined to be strangulation.
• The police suspect that the victim was strangled to death.
• I heard the guy got choked out in a bar fight.
• The company's new policies are strangling employee morale.

verb inflicting severe pain or suffering on someone deliberately

• The suspect was charged with torturing animals, a serious crime under the law.
• I heard that he was torturing his little brother by tickling him non-stop.
• Stop torturing me with your bad jokes!
• The constant noise from the construction site was torturing my ears.

noun the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property

• The act of vandalism on public property is a serious offense that can result in legal consequences.
• Someone committed vandalism on the school's building last night.
• I can't believe they tagged the wall with graffiti, that's straight up vandalism.
• His harsh criticism felt like emotional vandalism on her self-esteem.

verb to deliberately destroy or damage property belonging to others

• The culprit was caught vandalizing the historic building.
• I can't believe someone would vandalize the park like that.
• Those kids are always out here vandalizing stuff.
• His reckless behavior seemed to vandalize the trust between them.

noun a criminal offense involving unwanted sexual contact or behavior

adjective describing the severity of the sexual imposition

• The defendant was charged with gross sexual imposition for his actions towards the victim.
• I can't believe he got arrested for gross sexual imposition, that's messed up.
• They caught him red-handed with gross sexual imposition, what a sicko.
• His lies and deceit were a form of gross sexual imposition on her emotions.

noun a physical attack on someone

adjective pertaining to a usual or typical assault that is not aggravated or serious in nature

• The defendant was charged with common assault after allegedly physically attacking the victim.
• He got into a fight at the bar and ended up with a common assault charge.
• She's facing a rap for common assault because of that bar brawl.
• His words were like a common assault on her emotions, leaving her feeling hurt and vulnerable.

verb to carry off or lead away (a person) illegally and in secret or by force, especially to kidnap

• The police are investigating a case of abducting a prominent businessman.
• I heard that someone was caught abducting a celebrity last night.
• Did you see that movie about abducting aliens?
• Her thoughts were constantly abducting her from reality.

noun a person who encourages or supports others, especially in wrongdoing

verb to encourage or support someone, especially in wrongdoing

• It is important for society to strive towards being abetter place for future generations.
• I'm working on being abetter version of myself every day.
• She's always trying to be abetter than everyone else.
• The sun shining through the clouds made the day feel abetter.