Vocabulary for IELTS (Academic) - Crime and Punishment

Here you will learn some English words about crime and punishment, such as "burglary", "murderer", "eyewitness", etc. that are needed for the IELTS exam.

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to arrest [verb]

(of law enforcement agencies) to take a person away because they believe that they have done something illegal

Ex: The authorities have the power to arrest those who are caught in the act of committing a crime .

attacker [noun]

a person who intentionally harms someone physically

Ex: The brave bystander intervened to stop the attacker from causing further harm .

burglary [noun]

the crime of entering a building to commit illegal activities such as stealing, damaging property, etc.

Ex: Installing a security system can help deter burglaries and protect your home from intruders .

case [noun]

a matter that is to be dealt with in a court of law

Ex: The high-profile case attracted a lot of media attention and public interest .

to commit [verb]

to do a particular thing that is unlawful or wrong

Ex: She admitted to committing perjury during the trial by providing false testimony under oath .

criminal [noun]

a person who does or is involved in an illegal activity

Ex: He became a wanted criminal after escaping from custody .

criminal [adjective]

related to or involving illegal activities

Ex:

clue [noun]

a piece of evidence that leads someone toward the solution of a crime or problem

Ex: The cryptic message was the only clue they had to solve the puzzle .

illegally [adverb]

in a way that breaks or goes against the law

Ex: They were caught illegally crossing the border without proper documents .

to investigate [verb]

to try to find the truth about a crime, accident, etc. by carefully examining its facts

Ex: She was determined to investigate the incident until she uncovered the truth .

detective work [noun]

the activity of trying to get more information or finding out the truth about something

murderer [noun]

a person who is guilty of killing another human being deliberately

Ex: The film tells the story of a detective who is determined to catch a notorious murderer .

punishment [noun]

the act of making someone suffer because they have done something illegal or wrong

Ex: The school implemented a new policy of restorative justice , focusing on rehabilitation rather than punishment for student misbehavior .

to shoot [verb]

to release a bullet or arrow from a gun or bow

Ex: The soldier was trained to accurately shoot under various combat conditions .

victim [noun]

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

Ex: The documentary focused on the lives of victims affected by domestic violence , highlighting their struggles for justice .

to appeal [verb]

to officially ask a higher court to review and reverse the decision made by a lower court

Ex: The tenant 's lawyer advised them to appeal the eviction order issued by the housing court .

to capture [verb]

to seize or get control of something by force

Ex: The soldiers captured the city , marking the end of the war .

to confess [verb]

to admit, especially to the police or legal authorities, that one has committed a crime or has done something wrong

Ex: Law enforcement encourages individuals to confess as it can contribute to resolving cases more efficiently .

drug dealer [noun]

an individual who sells illegal drugs such as narcotics, opioids, etc.

Ex: He was sentenced to prison for ten years for his role as a drug dealer in the local community .

eyewitness [noun]

someone who has personally seen of an object, event, etc. and can describe it

Ex: His testimony as an eyewitness was crucial in convicting the suspect .

innocent [adjective]

not having committed a wrongdoing or offense

Ex: The jury found the defendant innocent of all charges due to lack of evidence .

investigation [noun]

an attempt to gather the facts of a matter such as a crime, incident, etc. to find out the truth

Ex: The journalist 's investigation revealed new information about the corruption scandal .

offender [noun]

a person who commits a crime

Ex: The neighborhood watch group aims to identify and report any suspicious behavior by potential offenders .

robbery [noun]

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

Ex:

shoplifting [noun]

the crime of taking goods from a store without paying for them

Ex: The store owner reported several cases of shoplifting last month .

to suspect [verb]

to think that someone may have committed a crime, without having proof

Ex: He began to suspect his business partner of embezzling funds when discrepancies appeared in the accounts .

vandalism [noun]

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

Ex: Vandalism of public transportation facilities has become a growing concern for city officials .

violence [noun]

a crime that is intentionally directed toward a person or thing to hurt, intimidate, or kill them

Ex: The film depicted graphic scenes of violence that were unsettling to some viewers .

blackmail [noun]

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

Ex: The celebrity paid a large sum of money to prevent a tabloid from publishing a damaging story , which was considered blackmail .

execution [noun]

the act of punishing a criminal by death

Ex: The execution of the convicted murderer sparked public protests against capital punishment .

Vocabulary for IELTS (Academic)
Architecture	Medicine	Crime and Punishment	The Law
Politics	Religion	Society	Emigration
War	Computer	Geography	Biology
Engineering	Conducting Research	Physics	Mathematics and Statistics
History	Graphs and Figures	Information Technology	Chemistry
Energy and Fuel	Economics	Psychology	Global Issues
Problematic Words	Collective Nouns	Talking about Trends	Equality
Feminism	Marketing