Crime and Punishment Vocabulary
The most common crime and punishment vocabulary with audios for pronunciation. This word list covers crimes, criminals, punishment, court proceedings and other useful words to write and talk about the topic of crime. Practice the words with the vocabulary exercise at the bottom of the page.
Major Crimes
abduction = talking someone against their will (kidnapping)
arson = setting fire to a property
assault = a physical attack
burglary = illegal entry to a building with an intent to commit a crime
child abuse = maltreatment of a child
drug trafficking = importing illegal drugs
false imprisonment = imprisoning a person against their will and without legal authority
fraud = deception for personal or financial gain
hacking = unauthorised access to data in a computer system
hijacking = illegally getting control of an aircraft or vehicle
human trafficking = illegally transporting people, usually for slave labour or commercial sexual exploitation
murder (homicide USA)
- premeditated murder = murder that is intentional (planned before hand)
- unpremeditated murder = murder that is not intentional (not planned)
- manslaughter = unintentional murder (synonym for unpremeditated murder)