criminalize: Meaning and Definition of

crim•i•nal•ize

Pronunciation: (krim'u-nl-īz"), [key]
— -ized, -iz•ing.
  1. to make punishable as a crime: To reduce the graffiti on subway cars, he wants to criminalize the selling of spray paint to minors.
  2. to make a criminal of: Drug use has criminalized him.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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