criminal offense

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Winston Churchill once quipped that if he were the world’s dictator, he would “make it a criminal offense for anyone to go around bothering molecules. And the little atom would be left in peace forever.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

"It should be a criminal offense, and we are going to launch a campaign," Sheinbaum said, adding that she had suffered similar attacks in her youth.

From Barron's • Nov. 5, 2025

But it’s also 1990, a time when being gay in the military was considered a criminal offense.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2025

“Wondo and others detained should be credibly charged with a criminal offense or immediately released. An arrest based only on a 2016 photo is just not credible,” Human Rights Watch said in statement on Friday.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 7, 2024

Mass action was perilous in South Africa, where it was a criminal offense for an African to strike, and where the rights of free speech and movement were unmercifully curtailed.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela