as in to outlaw
to make or declare contrary to the law wanted to criminalize an activity that the mountaineers had been engaging in for generations

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of criminalize When the country began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, these changes allowed the government to criminalize opposition. Stephen Norris, The Conversation, 18 Mar. 2025 Here are a few bills that have moved: Stiffer penalties for DUIs: Legislation that would up penalties for driving under the influence and criminalize refusal to submit to a Breathalyzer test advanced last week and has one more committee stop. Yacob Reyes, Axios, 10 Mar. 2025 To combat such phantoms, Georgian Dream has passed new legislation that criminalizes assembly and protest. Anastasiya Zavyalova, The Conversation, 28 Mar. 2025 Questions have been raised about whether the Signal chat violated the Espionage Act, a 1917 law criminalizing unauthorized storage or disclosure of sensitive defense information. Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for criminalize

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“Criminalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/criminalize. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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