Crime & Justice

blackmail C2

/ˈblæk.meɪl/ the crime or practice of demanding money or compliance by threatening to reveal a secret or damaging information M S

solitary C2

/ˈsɑlɪˌtɛɹi/ Alone; done or existing without others. M S

thug C2

/θʌɡ/ a violent criminal or a person hired to intimidate or attack others M S

abduction C2

/æbˈdʌk.ʃn̩/ the act of taking a person away unlawfully by force or deception M S

arson C2

/ˈɑɹsən/ malicious burning to destroy property M S

lynch C2

/lɪnt͡ʃ/ to kill someone without legal authority or a trial, especially by a mob and often by hanging M S

posse C2

/ˈpɑːsi/ a group of people summoned by a law officer to help keep order or pursue a suspect M S

smuggle C2

/ˈsmʌɡəl/ to move goods or people secretly and illegally across a border or through controls M S

perpetrator C2

/ˈpɝpəˌtɹeɪtɚ/ a person who commits a crime, harmful act, or other wrongdoing M S

gunman C2

/ˈɡʌnmən/ a criminal armed with a gun, especially a professional killer. M S

penitentiary C2

/ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃəɹi/ used for punishment or reform of criminals or wrongdoers M S

assailant C2

/əˈseɪlənt/ a person who physically attacks another person M S

felon C2

/ˈfɛl.ən/ a person who has committed or been convicted of a felony, especially in United States law M S

smuggler C2

/ˈsmʌɡlɚ/ a person who secretly and illegally carries goods or people into or out of a country or restricted area M S

guillotine C2

/ˈɡɪl.ə.tiːn/ a machine for executing a person by dropping a heavy blade through the neck M S

apprehend C2

/ˌæpɹɪˈhend/ To catch and arrest someone, especially a criminal. M S

avenger C2

/əˈvɛndʒɚ/ a person who punishes someone in return for a wrong or injury M S

misdemeanor C2

/ˌmɪsdəˈmiːnɝ/ A minor crime that is punished less severely than a serious one. M S

incriminate C2

/ɪnˈkrɪm.ə.neɪt/ to provide evidence or information suggesting that someone is guilty of a crime or wrongdoing M S

swindler C2

/ˈswɪndəlɚ/ a person who obtains money or property from others through deception or fraud M S

embezzlement C2

/ɪmˈbɛzəlmənt/ the fraudulent theft or misappropriation of money or property entrusted to one's care M S

swag C2

/swæɡ/ informal: money or goods obtained by theft or other illegal activity M S

pickpocket C2

/ˈpɪkˌpɑːkət/ a thief who secretly steals from people's pockets or bags in public places M S

hooligan C2

/ˈhuː.lɪ.ɡən/ a violent or destructive troublemaker, especially one acting as part of a group M S

mobster C2

/ˈmɑːb.stɚ/ a member of an organized criminal gang, especially the Mafia M S

forger C2

/ˈfɔrdʒɚ/ a person who fraudulently makes or alters documents, money, art, or other objects M S

ringleader C2

/ˈɹɪŋˌliːdəɹ/ a person who leads (especially in illicit activities) M S

poacher C2

/ˈpoʊ.t͡ʃɚ/ someone who hunts or fishes illegally on the property of another M S

behead C2

/bɪˈhɛd/ to cut off a person's or animal's head, especially as a form of execution M S

punitive C2

/ˈpju.nɪ.tɪv/ Intended as punishment. M S

abductor C2

/æbˈdʌktɚ/ a person who unlawfully carries someone away and holds them captive M S

marauder C2

/məˈrɔː.dɚ/ a person or member of a group that roams about to raid, steal, or attack M S

ferocity C2

/fəˈɹɑsɪti/ Extreme fierceness or violence. M S

corroboration C2

/kəˌɹɑbəˈɹeɪʃən/ the act of confirming a statement or theory with independent evidence M S

highwayman C2

/ˈhaɪ.weɪ.mən/ historical: an armed robber, typically on horseback, who stopped and robbed travelers on public roads M S

shackle C2

/ˈʃæk.əl/ a metal restraint for a wrist or ankle, usually one of a connected pair; figuratively, anything that severely restricts freedom M S

truncheon C2

/ˈtrʌn.tʃən/ a short, thick club carried as a weapon by a police officer M S

trespasser C2

/ˈtres.pæs.ɚ/ a person who enters or remains on another person's land or property without permission or legal right M S

brigand C2

/ˈbɹɪɡənd/ an armed robber or outlaw, especially one belonging to a band M S

bigamist C2

/ˈbɪɡ.ə.mɪst/ a person who marries someone while still legally married to another person M S

embezzle C2

/ɪmˈbɛzəl/ to fraudulently take money or property that has been entrusted to one's care, especially from an employer or organization M S

filch C2

/fɪltʃ/ to steal something, especially a small or relatively low-value item, in a furtive way M S

gibbet C2

/ˈdʒɪbɪt/ historical: a gallows or similar framework used to hang a person or display an executed person's body M S

aforethought C2

/əˈfɔɹ.θɔt/ planned or considered in advance; premeditated, especially in the legal phrase 'malice aforethought' M S

fetter C2

/ˈfet.ə/ a chain or shackle placed around the feet or legs to restrict movement M S

headsman C2

/ˈhɛdzmən/ historical: an executioner who puts condemned people to death by beheading M S

corroborative C2

/kəˈrɑːbəˌreɪtɪv/ serving to support, confirm, or strengthen a statement or conclusion with additional evidence M S

pugnacious C2

/pəgˈnæʃɪs/ ready and able to resort to force or violence M S

matricide C2

/ˈmeɪtrəˌsaɪd/ the killing of one's mother M S

parricide C2

/ˈpærɪsaɪd/ the killing of one's father, mother, or another close relative M S

connivance C2

/kəˈnaɪvəns/ secret or tacit approval of wrongdoing, especially by deliberately ignoring it M S

waylay C2

/ˈweɪleɪ/ to wait for someone in order to attack them or stop them unexpectedly M S

nobble C2

/ˈnɑː.bəl/ British informal: to bribe, persuade, intimidate, or otherwise secure improper influence over someone M S

larcenous C2

/ˈlɑɹsənəs/ inclined to steal, or involving theft M S

purloin C2

/pɚˈlɔɪn/ formal or humorous: to steal or wrongfully take something, often secretly or in breach of trust M S

cutpurse C2

/ˈkʌtˌpɝs/ historical: a thief who steals purses or valuables from people in public, especially by cutting a purse from its fastening M S

bushranger C2

/ˈbʊʃˌreɪn.dʒɚ/ historical Australian usage: an escaped convict or other outlaw who lived in the bush and survived by robbery M S

litigant C2

/ˈlɪtɪɡənt/ a person or organization that is a party to a lawsuit M S

malefactor C2

/ˈmæl.əˌfæk.tɚ/ a person who commits a crime or other wrongful act; a criminal or evildoer M S

housebreaker C2

/ˈhaʊsˌbreɪ.kɚ/ a person who illegally enters a house, usually by force, in order to steal or commit another crime M S

footpad C2

/ˈfʊtˌpæd/ historical: a robber who traveled and attacked people on foot rather than on horseback M S

durance C2

/ˈdʊɹəns/ literary or archaic: imprisonment or forced confinement, especially for a long time M S

exculpate C2

/ˈekskəlpeɪt/ formal: to clear a person from blame, guilt, or an accusation M S

thievish C2

/ˈθivɪʃ/ inclined or given to stealing M S

reave C2

/riːv/ archaic or literary: to rob, plunder, or carry something away by force M S

depredation C2

/ˌdɛprəˈdeɪʃən/ an act of plundering, pillaging, or violently seizing property M S

hornswoggle C2

/ˈhɔɹn.swɑ.ɡəl/ to deceive or trick someone, especially in order to deprive them of money or property M S

pilferer C2

/ˈpɪlfəɹə(ɹ)/ a person who steals small items or small amounts M S

cracksman C2

/ˈkræksmən/ dated or literary: a burglar, especially one skilled at breaking open safes M S

footmark C2

/ˈfʊtˌmɑrk/ a mark or impression left by a foot or shoe on a surface M S

body snatcher C2

/ˈbɑːdi ˌsnætʃɚ/ historical: a person who illegally removed recently buried corpses from graves, especially to sell them for anatomical dissection M S

unjudged C2

/ˌʌnˈdʒʌdʒd/ not evaluated, decided, or subjected to a legal judgment or trial M S

peculation C2

/ˌpek.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/ the embezzlement or fraudulent appropriation of money or property entrusted to one's care, especially public funds M S

malversation C2

/ˌmæl.vɚˈseɪ.ʃən/ corrupt or dishonest conduct in a public office, trust, or administrative role M S

smouch C2

/ˈsmaʊtʃ/ chiefly dialectal: to obtain something by stealing or trickery M S

defalcation C2

/ˌdiːfælˈkeɪʃən/ law: intentional or reckless misuse of money or property entrusted to one's care M S

prisonhouse C2

/ˈprɪzənˌhaʊs/ a prison or the principal building of a prison M S

amercement C2

/əˈmɝsmənt/ historical law: a monetary penalty whose amount was set at the discretion of a court or lord M S

filicide C2

/ˈfɪ.lɪ.sʌɪd/ the killing of a person's own child or children M S