noun · neutral
crime
/kraɪm/CRIME
an action or activity that breaks the law
Examples
“There was a rise in crime in the city last year.”
“The report looks at causes of juvenile crime.”
“People are worried about crime in their neighbourhood.”
Band 8 sentence
“Addressing the root causes of crime — such as poverty and lack of education — is more effective than harsher sentences alone.”
Collocations
- commit a crime
- crime rate
- juvenile crime
Word family
Common mistakes
He did a crime last night.→He committed a crime last night.
There are many crimes in this city last year.→There were many crimes in this city last year.
Say it for a higher band
5bad thing→6offence→7+crime
Synonyms
offence
criminal act
Easily confused
offence
“He was charged with a minor offence and fined.”
criminal
“The police arrested the criminal after a short chase.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Society & Government
Learn it with its set