lawbreaking
/ˈlɔːbreɪkɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlɔːbreɪkɪŋ/ (ame, ipa)
lawbreaking — noun
1. behaviour where someone ignores legal rules, especially when this happens repeat
behaviour where someone ignores legal rules, especially when this happens repeatedly or affects many people in a society.
Selim said years of small-scale lawbreaking by drivers had made the road dangerous.
abstract noun used uncountably with modifier 'small-scale'
The new mayor promised that lawbreaking inside the city market would no longer be ignored.
lawbreaking + location phrase ('inside the market')
Beatriz argued in class that hunger can push ordinary people into lawbreaking.
Reports of widespread lawbreaking on construction sites made Niran demand stricter inspections.
Takeshi explained that the protest stayed peaceful and there was no lawbreaking of any kind.
- crime
everyday word; can be one act or general behaviour, much more common in conversation.
- illegality
formal; emphasises the legal status rather than the behaviour itself.
- delinquency
usually about young people repeatedly breaking minor laws.
- transgression
formal or literary; may also cover moral rules, not only legal ones.
- compliance
the opposite behaviour: following the rules, often with reporting requirements.
- obedience
more general — following any authority, not only the law.
用法筆記
Uncountable noun; takes no article in general statements ('lawbreaking is rare here', not 'a lawbreaking'). Often paired with scale or location modifiers (small-scale, widespread, inside X).