verb phrase · neutral
report a crime
UK/rɪˈpɔːt ə kraɪm/US/rɪˈpɔrt ə kraɪm/re·PORT a CRIME
to tell the police that a crime has happened
Examples
“I went to the station to report a crime after someone broke my car window.”
“Witnesses are encouraged to report a crime as soon as possible.”
“If you see suspicious activity at night, report a crime to the local police.”
Band 8 sentence
“After noticing signs of forced entry, she reported the crime immediately so the police could start collecting evidence.”
Collocations
- report a theft
- report a missing person
Word family
Common mistakes
report crime→report a crime
tell police about→report a crime to the police
Say it for a higher band
5tell the police→6inform the police→7+report a crime
Synonyms
file a report
Easily confused
file a report
“After the burglary, she went to the station to file a report.”
Related words
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In Crime & Law
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