Talking about Crime: English Vocabulary List

an unlawful act that is punishable by the legal system

"Stealing is a serious crime."

"The police are investigating a serious crime that happened downtown last night."

the illegal act of taking something from a place or person without permission

"The theft happened last night."

"The theft of confidential documents caused major problems for the company."

the act of subjecting someone to repeated and unwanted attacks, criticism, or other forms of harmful behavior

"Harassment is not acceptable."

"The employee filed a complaint about harassment in the workplace last month."

to take someone away and hold them in captivity, typically to demand something for their release

"The criminals planned to kidnap the child."

"The criminal planned to kidnap the wealthy businessman's daughter and demand a large ransom for her safe return."

the illegal act of purposefully damaging a property belonging to another person or organization

"The park has been ruined by senseless vandalism."

"Vandalism of a cultural site is considered a serious criminal offense in many countries"

the act of offering money to an authority to gain advantage

"The mayor was convicted of bribery and corruption."

"Bribery of a foreign public official is a criminal offense under the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention"

the crime of stealing money or goods from someone or somewhere, especially by violence or threat

"He was sentenced for armed bank robbery."

"The convenience store was closed for several hours after an armed robbery took place there."

a person who has been harmed, injured, or killed due to a crime, accident, etc.

"The victim called the police."

"The victim of the robbery described the suspect to the police in great detail."

someone who helps another to commit a crime or do a wrongdoing

"He was an accomplice too."

"The police arrested the driver of the getaway car as an accomplice to the robbery."

the crime of demanding money or benefits from someone by threatening to reveal secret or sensitive information about them

"The spy used the secrets for emotional blackmail."

"Emotional blackmail is a dysfunctional dynamic where one person uses a sense of obligation"

the act of using violence such as killing people, bombing, etc. to gain political power

"Terrorism hurts many innocent people."

"The government is working hard to stop terrorism and protect citizens from violent attacks."

to take something from someone or somewhere without permission or paying for it

"Do not steal from other people."

"The employee was fired after trying to steal money from the cash register when he thought no one was watching him."

to unlawfully and intentionally kill another human being

"The suspect planned to murder his rival."

"The suspect was charged with attempting to murder his neighbor after a long standing dispute over the property line."

to treat someone unfairly or cruelly, often because of their race, gender, religion, or beliefs

"The regime persecuted minority groups."

"Throughout history various religious groups have been persecuted for their beliefs by those in positions of power."

to illegally obtain money or property from someone by tricking them

"He attempted to defraud the elderly woman."

"The businessman was found guilty of trying to defraud investors by creating a fake company and selling worthless shares."

to persuade someone to do something, often illegal, by giving them an amount of money or something of value

"Do not bribe government officials."

"It is illegal to bribe a government official in exchange for preferential treatment or confidential information."

to subject someone to aggressive pressure or intimidation, often causing distress or discomfort

"The law prohibits harassing coworkers."

"The company has a strict policy against employees who harass their coworkers based on gender race or religion."

to force someone to have sex against their will, particularly by using violence or threatening them

"The man was convicted for rape."

"The suspect was convicted of attempted rape and sentenced to fifteen years in prison without the possibility of parole."

to intentionally damage something, particularly public property

"Teens vandalized the park benches."

"The teenagers were arrested for trying to vandalize the school building by spray painting graffiti on the walls late at night."