English Words for "Law and Criminality" | C1 Vocabulary

to abuse

Verb

a

ə

b

u

ju

s

z

e

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to sexually assault a person, especially women and children

Example

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The survivor courageously shared their experience of an individual who sought to abuse them.

Community initiatives aim to dismantle the culture that perpetuates attitudes and behaviors allowing individuals to abuse others sexually.

Grammatical Information:

transitive

to assault

Verb

a

ə

ss

s

au

ɔ

l

t

to violently attack someone

Grammatical Information:

transitive

to hijack

Verb

h

i

aɪ

j

ʤ

a

æ

ck

k

to forcefully take control of a vehicle, like an airplane, often to take hostages or change its course

Grammatical Information:

transitive

to kidnap

Verb

k

i

ɪ

d

n

a

æ

p

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

Grammatical Information:

transitive

to mug

Verb

m

u

ə

g

to steal from someone by threatening them or using violence, particularly in a public place

Grammatical Information:

transitive

to rape

Verb

r

a

eɪ

p

e

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

Grammatical Information:

transitive

to pirate

Verb

p

i

aɪ

r

a

ə

t

e

to illegally copy, use, or sell someone else's work or product, such as a book, song, etc.

to vandalize

Verb

v

a

æ

n

d

a

ə

l

i

aɪ

z

e

to intentionally damage something, particularly public property

Grammatical Information:

transitive

arson

noun

a

ɑ

r

s

o

ə

n

the criminal act of setting something on fire, particularly a building

blackmail

noun

b

l

a

æ

ck

k

m

ai

eɪ

l

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

deception

noun

d

e

ɪ

c

s

e

ɛ

p

t

ʃ

io

ə

n

the action of intentionally making a person believe something that is untrue

break-in

noun

/ˈbɹeɪˌkɪn/

an illegal entry into a building by using force, particularly in order to steal something

bribe

noun

b

r

i

aɪ

b

e

an amount of money or something of value given to someone in order to persuade them to do something that is illegal

forgery

noun

f

o

ɔ

r

g

ʤ

e

ɜ

r

y

i

the criminal act of making a copy of a document, money, etc. to do something illegal

genocide

noun

g

ʤ

e

ɛ

n

o

ə

c

s

i

aɪ

d

e

a mass murder committed in order to destroy a particular nation, religious or ethnic group, or race

phishing

noun

ph

f

i

ɪ

sh

ʃ

i

ɪ

n

g

a cybercrime in which someone tricks another into revealing their personal or financial information such as their passwords or bank account numbers and then using this information to steal money from them

What is "phishing"?

Phishing is a type of online scam where attackers attempt to trick people into giving away sensitive information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, or personal details. This is often done by sending fake emails, messages, or websites that appear to be from trusted sources, such as banks or online services. The goal is to deceive the recipient into clicking a link or entering their information, which can then be used for fraud or identity theft. Phishing can be harmful if not recognized, as it can lead to financial loss or security breaches.

scammer

noun

s

c

k

a

æ

mm

m

e

ɜ

r

a person who deceives people to get their money

swindler

noun

s

w

i

ɪ

n

d

ə

l

e

ɜ

r

a person who deceives or cheats people out of money

ransom

noun

r

a

æ

n

s

o

ə

m

an amount of money demanded or paid for the release of a person who is in captivity

riot

noun

r

io

aɪə

t

a situation when a group of people behave violently, particularly as a protest

fine

noun

f

i

aɪ

n

e

an amount of money that must be paid as a legal punishment

to bug

Verb

b

u

ʌ

g

to hide a small microphone in a place or device in order to secretly listen to or record someone's conversations

Grammatical Information:

transitive

alibi

noun

a

æ

l

i

ə

b

i

aɪ

proof that indicates a person was somewhere other than the place where a crime took place and therefore could not have committed it

accomplice

noun

a

ə

cc

k

o

ɑ

m

p

l

i

ə

c

s

e

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

conspirator

noun

c

k

o

ə

n

s

p

i

ɪ

r

a

ə

t

o

ɜ

r

a person involved in a conspiracy

assassin

noun

a

ə

ss

s

a

æ

ss

s

i

ə

n

someone who murders an important person for money or religious or political reasons

bandit

noun

b

a

æ

n

d

i

ɪ

t

a robber who attacks travelers and is a member of a group of robbers

Grammatical Information:

Plural form

banditti

gangster

noun

g

a

æ

n

g

s

t

e

ɜ

r

a member of a group of criminals

juvenile delinquent

noun

/dʒˈuːvənˌaɪl dɪlˈɪnkwənt/

a young person who commits a crime

Grammatical Information:

compound noun

imprisonment

noun

i

ɪ

m

p

r

i

ɪ

s

z

o

ə

n

m

e

ə

n

t

the action of putting someone in prison

inmate

noun

i

ɪ

n

m

a

eɪ

t

e

a person who is held in a prison or correctional facility

convict

noun

c

k

o

ɑ

n

v

i

ɪ

c

k

t

a person found guilty of a crime and sent to prison

capital punishment

noun

/kˈæpɪɾəl pˈʌnɪʃmənt/

the killing of a criminal as punishment

Grammatical Information:

compound noun

confession

noun

c

k

o

ə

n

f

e

ɛ

ss

ʃ

io

ə

n

a formal statement made by a person admitting that they are guilty of a crime

to inspect

Verb

i

ɪ

n

s

p

e

ɛ

c

k

t

to carefully examine something to check its condition or make sure it meets standards

Grammatical Information:

transitive

corrupt

Adjective

c

k

o

ɜ

rr

r

u

ə

p

t

using one's power or authority to do illegal things for personal gain or financial benefit

incorrupt

execution

noun

e

ɛ

x

ks

e

ə

c

k

u

ju

t

ʃ

io

ə

n

the act of punishing a criminal by death

to raid

Verb

r

ai

eɪ

d

(of police) to unexpectedly visit a person or place to arrest suspects or find illegal goods

Grammatical Information:

transitive

fingerprint

noun

f

i

ɪ

n

g

e

ɜ

r

p

r

i

ɪ

n

t

a mark made by the unique pattern of lines on the tip of a person's finger, can be used to find out who has committed a crime

forensic

Adjective

f

o

ɔ

r

e

ɛ

n

s

i

ɪ

c

k

related to the use of scientific techniques when trying to know more about a crime

probation

noun

p

r

o

oʊ

b

a

eɪ

t

ʃ

io

ə

n

(law) a specific supervised period of time outside prison granted to a criminal, given they do not break a law during this period

What is "probation"?

Probation is a court-ordered period during which a person found guilty of a crime is allowed to remain in the community instead of serving time in prison, under certain conditions. These conditions may include regular check-ins with a probation officer, attending counseling, maintaining employment, or avoiding further criminal activity. If the individual follows the rules, they may avoid jail time, but failure to comply with probation conditions can result in more serious penalties, including imprisonment. Probation is often used for less severe offenses or when the court believes the person can be rehabilitated outside of prison.

record

noun

r

e

ɛ

c

k

o

ə

r

d

official information that indicates a person has committed a crime

goon

noun

g

oo

u

n

a criminal hired to harm or threaten people

death squad

noun

/dˈɛθ skwˈɑːd/

a group of armed people who illegally kill supporters of an opposing political party or criminals

Grammatical Information:

compound noun

henchman

noun

h

e

ɛ

n

ch

ʧ

m

a

ə

n

someone who faithfully supports a person in power and is willing to do things for them that are illegal or violent

gun for hire

noun

/ɡˈʌn fɔːɹ hˈaɪɚ/

an individual who does immoral or violent things for money

Grammatical Information:

compound noun

gunslinger

noun

g

u

ə

n

s

l

i

ɪ

n

g

e

ɜ

r

a person who is skilled at shooting a gun and is hired to kill someone, used particularly in the past in the American Wild West

breaking and entering

phrase

/bɹˈeɪkɪŋ ænd ˈɛntɚɹɪŋ/

the crime of using force to illegally enter a building

to finger

Verb

f

i

ɪ

n

g

e

ə

r

Informal

to identify or point out someone as the person responsible for committing a crime or wrongdoing, often to law enforcement or other authorities

Grammatical Information:

transitive

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You learned 49 words from Lesson 63. To improve learning and review vocabulary, start practicing.

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