Crime Vocabulary - Words List of Criminals, Law & Punishment

In the IELTS test, everyone gets nervous about topics related to Law and Crime. To answer them confidently, get the updated list of crime vocabulary here, containing words from different types of crime, criminals, law, and punishment. Since IELTS vocabulary (also called lexical resources) covers 25% of the overall band score, learn the technical words and practise them during mock tests. To revise, download our crime vocabulary PDF for free!

Basically, a crime is an intentional act that violates the law prescribed by the state. For IELTS preparation (listening, reading, speaking and writing), you don't need to know the definition of crime, but memorise the most commonly-used crime IELTS vocabulary to help you write or talk about the topic. To understand specific words better, our crime vocabulary has meanings and examples.

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Types of Crime

A crime is categorised into two types, major crimes and minor crimes. Offences like murder, rape, dacoity, etc., come under major crimes. Whereas an offence like pickpocketing, chain snatching, minor assault, etc., comes under minor crimes. Let’s explore them in detail.

Major Crimes

Words related to major crimes (also called heinous crimes) are given below.

S No	Words	Definition / Meaning
1	Murder	Killing a person intentionally.
2	Rape	A sexual assault against a woman without her consent.
3	Dacoity	Armed robbery by at least five members.
4	Arson	Setting fire to a property.
5	Drug trafficking	Buying and selling drugs illegally.
6	Fraud	Deceiving someone for personal or financial gain.
7	Burglary	Illegally entering a premises to commit a crime
8	Human trafficking	Transporting people illegally from one place to another, mainly for slavery or prostitution (commercial sexual exploitation).
9	Patricide	Killing one’s own father
10	Genocide	Killing a large group of people
11	Organised Crime	Crime committed systematically by different groups of people.
12	Terrorism	Violence against a country with political aims.
13	White collar crime	A crime is committed for mass gain by using power and authority and not through violence.
14	Abduction	Taking someone against their will and hiding.
15	Assault	A physical attack against an individual.
16	Hacking	Accessing unauthorised data in a computer system.
17	Hijacking	Taking control over an aircraft or any vehicle through force, usually for political reasons.
18	Child abuse	Hurting a child physically, sexually, emotionally, and psychologically.
19	Premeditated murder	Killing a person with intention (planned beforehand).
20	Unpremeditated murder	Killing a person without intention (unplanned).
21	False imprisonment	Imprisoning a person without legal authority.
22	Manslaughter	The act of killing someone without any intention.
23	Attempt (attempted) to murder	Planning to kill someone.
24	Smuggling	Buying and selling products illegally.
25	Euthanasia	Killing someone for their benefit.
26.	Espionage	Spying to obtain political or military information.
27.	Riot	Causing public disturbance.
28.	Treason	Betraying their own country.
29.	Voyeurism	Secretly watching naked people or sexual acts.
30.	Grievous hurt	A physical assault that causes permanent damage to a person.

Minor Crimes

Words related to minor crimes are given below.

S No	Words	Definition / Meaning
1	Pick pocketing	Taking valuable things from another person’s pockets.
2	Shoplifting	Taking products from a shop without paying.
3	Traffic violations	Breaking the traffic rules.
4	Vandalism	Damaging a house or a property intentionally.
5	Simple hurt	Causing minor injuries to a person.
6	Bribery	Giving money or granting favors to do something against the law.
7	Drunk driving	Driving a vehicle after consumption of alcohol.
8	Embezzlement	Stealing large amounts of money that you are incharge of.
9	Forgery	Fake documents, currency, etc., to cheat others.
10	Hit and run	Hit a person accidentally and run from that place.
11	Identity theft	Using someone’s personal information for one’s own benefit.
12	Mugging	Attacking someone to snatch valuable things.
13	Poaching	Hunting illegally.
14	Slander	Damaging the good opinion of a person by speaking something not true.
15	Speeding	Driving a vehicle beyond the legal speed limit.
16	Theft	Stealing something.
17	Deserter	Leaving the armed forces without permission.
18	Stowaway	Travelling on a vehicle secretly without paying.
19	Stalking	Following someone over a period of time in an annoying way.
20	Looting	Stealing something during a war, a riot, a fire, etc.

Other words for Criminals

Other words for criminals are given here.

Criminal	Definition
Arsonist	Setting fire to a car, property, or a building purposefully.
Assassin	Killing someone who is famous.
Assailant	Attacking a person physically.
Bigamist	Marrying another person when you are already married to someone.
Bomber	Detonating an explosive device.
Burglar	Breaking into a house to steal.
Child abuser	Hurting a child physically, emotionally or sexually.
Spy	Obtaining political or military information through spying.
Con artist fraud	Getting money from people by cheating them.
Hijacker	Taking control of a plane, train, etc., for political gains.
Killer	Killing someone with intention.
Hooligan	Being violent or aggressive.
Kidnapper	Taking someone away through force.
Looter	Taking things illegally during a war, a riot, etc.
Mugger	Attacking someone with a plan to rob.
Murderer	Killing someone on purpose.
Pickpocketer	Stealing wallets, money from people's pockets.
Poacher	Hunting animals illegally.
Rapist	Forcing someone to have sex.
Rioter	Causing a noisy, violent public disturbance.
Robber	Stealing large amounts of money with force.
Shoplifter	Stealing something from a store.
Smuggler	Selling and buying things illegally.
Terrorist	Violence against a country usually for political purposes.
Traitor	Betraying one’s country.
Trespasser	Entering another person’s premises without permission.
Vandal	Destroying private or public property.
Delinquent	A juvenile committing an offence.
Psychopath	A person with an antisocial personality disorder.
Serial killer	Someone who kills many people in a similar pattern.
Stealer	A person taking a special thing from others.

Please note that these words are different from idioms, phrases and collocations.

Types of Punishment Vocabulary

Like crime and criminals, punishment also has various types. While reading and paraphrasing, make sure you use them correctly. Now, let’s see its vocabulary.

Types of Punishment	Meaning
Death penalty (capital punishment)	Killing a person legally (mostly, hanging until death).
Rigorous imprisonment	Imprisonment with hard labour.
Life-term imprisonment	Imprisonment for the rest of his life.
A prison sentence	Imprisonment (like 3 months, 7 years)
A suspended sentence	Delay in a sentence.
Hospital order	Confining a person to hospital under arrest.
Fine	An amount of money paid for violating the law.
House arrest	Imprisoned in one’s own house rather than in prison.
Revoke	Officially cancelling something, so that it’s no longer valid.
Non-custodial sentence	A sentence which is not conducted in prison.
Community service	Punishment by indulging in community work.
Solitary confinement	A person  must be kept alone in a prison.
Forfeiture	Taking away something legally.
Detention	Staying at school after hours.
Corporal punishment	Physical punishment from a teacher.
Scolding	An angry reprimand.
Isolation	Keeping a person separate from others.
Grounding	Unable to go outside home.
Imposition	Writing the same sentences again and again.
Double jeopardy	An offender undergoing two punishments for one crime.

Important Court Language: 

Words and Phrases	Definition / Meaning
Judge	The person who controls and administers the court proceedings.
Jury	A group of individuals deciding whether the defendant is guilty or not.
Justice	Fairness or law of court.
Public Prosecutor	The lawyer representing the state (government).
Defendant	The accused person.
Trial	Legal proceedings in a court.
Court	A place where the trial is held.
Defense Lawyer	The lawyer representing the defendant.
Witness	A person who saw the crime happening.
Evidence	Facts or information supporting the truth.
Innocent	Found not guilty of crime.
Conviction	The accused is found guilty.
Extenuating circumstances	A condition that makes the crime or mistake less serious and more understandable.
Circumstantial evidence	Analysing a situation and coming to a conclusion based on circumstances.
Maximum / minimum sentence	Highest penalty / lowest penalty
penalty	Punishment
Guilty	The accused is proven to have committed the crime.
Hearsay	Rumour / unsubstantiated information.
Verdict	Formal sentence of a court.
Prison	A building where criminals are kept as a punishment.

Before practising the above mentioned words, check whether they are countable and uncountable nouns.

Other Useful Vocabulary related to Crime and Punishment

Use the following vocabulary related to crime and punishment that is not covered elsewhere. 

• Rehabilitation - Restoring a person to a normal life.
• Retribution - Punishment for committing a crime.
• Deterrence - Fear
• Peer pressure - A feeling that one must do the same things of his/her age to earn respect.
• Social anxiety - A fear and uncomfortableness when you are left in a crowd.
• Role models - Aspiring to be someone.
• Mimicking violent behaviour - Copying violent acts from others and doing it.
• To be soft on crime - Not to give harsh or strict punishments.
• Armed policemen - Police personnel with weapons like guns (pistol, revolver).
• Diminished responsibility - Someone who is not to be considered responsible for their actions.
• Serial criminals - Criminals who commit the same crime.
• Repetitive offender - A person committing the same sort of crime more than once.
• Discrimination - giving less importance to one group of people than others.
• Ostracisation - Isolating from others.
• Reintegration - Rejoining a group of people or society.
• Prevention - Stopping bad things from happening.
• Probation - A temporary period of time where the offender is sent to his/her family from the prison for good conduct.
• Victim - A person or an animal that is affected by a crime.

Practice Tests Related to Crime

Now it’s time to test your memory by answering the following practice test related to crime.

1. All shops and schools were closed in my area due to a huge clash between two communities, causing _________.
2. He similarly killed many people, and that's why he is called a ____________ by the media.
3. We must ___________ the wrongdoers from committing any offence.
4. The court found the accused guilty, so he got a ___________.
5. He was given _____________. So, he will be hanged the day after tomorrow.
6. My driving licence has been ___________ due to speeding.
7. He is the new ____________________ representing the state in this criminal case.
8. When a person below 18 years of age commits a crime, he/she is referred to as ____________.
9. I was in ________ for 7 years for committing an attempt to murder.
10. We will end ____________ by bringing all black money back to the country.

Answers:

1. Riot
2. Serial killer
3. Prevent
4. Conviction
5. Death penalty
6. Revoked
7. Public Prosecutor
8. Delinquent
9. Prison
10. Corruption

Also Read:

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Social Media Vocabulary
Environment IELTS Vocabulary
Fashion Vocabulary IELTS
Work Vocabulary IELTS
IELTS Culture Vocabulary
Travel Vocabulary IELTS
IELTS Reading Vocabulary

Conclusion 

In crime vocabulary, we have covered words and phrases related to crimes in various court languages. If you use them correctly during IELTS preparation, you can impress the examiner and attain the expected IELTS band score. Moreover, maintain a crime vocabulary worksheet, as toppers suggest. It helps you a lot. 

FAQs

1. What is the synonym of crime?

There is more than one synonym of crime, including offence, scandal, sin, transgress and vice. As all these words mean ‘a violation of law,’ the term 'crime' simply means wrongdoing punishable by the law of the state.

2. What are the 5 types of criminals? 

The 5 major types of criminals are:

• First-time offender
• Habitual criminal
• White collar criminals
• Occasional offenders
• Serial killer

3. What is crime in easy language?

In easy language, Crime is an intentional act that violates the Act or Law, punishable by the state. However, there are different types of definitions given for Crime. 

4. What do you call a person who commits crime?

If a person commits a crime and the guilt is proven, then he/she is called an offender, criminal, felony, abuser, troublemaker, delinquent, culprit, wrongdoer, sinner or lawbreaker. 

5. What is a big crime called?

A big crime is called serious crimes, heinous crimes, violent crimes, evil crimes, etc. In India, a big crime is mostly referred to as heinous crime and serious crime.