crimes

IPA/kraɪm/
KK[krˈaɪmz]IPA/kraɪm/

crimes — 名詞

  • crimessingular
  • crimesesplural

1. actions that break the law, thought of as a widespread problem in society rather

1.名詞B1
釋義

犯罪活動

社會中違反法律的整體現象

actions that break the law, thought of as a widespread problem in society rather than as single events

例句

The mayor announced that violent crimes had fallen by half across the city this year.

市長宣布今年全市的暴力犯罪活動已減少了一半。

violent crimes — adjective + crimes for a category of law-breaking

Rohan's research paper looked at the link between poverty and crimes in four port cities.

Rohan 的研究論文探討了四個港口城市中貧窮與犯罪活動之間的關聯。

同義詞
  • criminality

    more formal; used in academic or legal writing about overall levels of law-breaking

  • lawbreaking

    stresses the act of breaking rules rather than the social harm caused

  • offending

    mainly British; used in official contexts about patterns of criminal behaviour

文法句型

crimes + rise/fall/drop

violent/organised/petty + crimes

用法筆記

This sense treats law-breaking as a broad social issue. You use it when discussing patterns, statistics, or public safety rather than naming a specific illegal act. Compare with sense 2 (ILLEGAL ACTS), which refers to individual offences.

常見錯誤

❌He was sent to prison for crimes.' (when describing a single offence).
✅He was sent to prison for a crime.
💡use 'a crime' for one specific illegal act; 'crimes' here (sense 1) refers to the general problem.

2. separate offences against the law, each one carrying a specific punishment such

2.名詞A2
釋義

罪行

可受法律懲罰的具體違法行為

separate offences against the law, each one carrying a specific punishment such as a fine or a prison term

例句

Wei was found guilty of two crimes — breaking into a warehouse and stealing copper wire.

Wei 被判兩項罪行成立——闖入倉庫和偷竊銅線。

number + crimes: two crimes

The police chief said the three jewellery heists were separate crimes carried out by different gangs.

警察局長表示這三起珠寶搶劫案是由不同集團犯下的獨立罪行。

同義詞
  • offences

    slightly more formal; the standard term in British legal writing

  • felonies

    specifically serious crimes in legal systems that distinguish them from misdemeanours

  • violations

    often used for less serious breaches or in regulatory rather than criminal contexts

文法句型

commit + crimes

be convicted of + crimes

report + crimes to + authority

用法筆記

This is the countable use — each crime is a separate illegal act. You can count them: 'two crimes,' 'several crimes.' The most frequent verb partner is 'commit.' Also common: 'report a crime,' 'solve a crime,' 'be convicted of a crime.'

常見錯誤

❌The police recorded five crime last night.
✅The police recorded five crimes last night.
💡'crime' is the singular; use 'crimes' when you are talking about more than one specific offence.

3. an action or situation that people feel is so wrong or unreasonable that it dese

3.名詞B2
釋義

罪過

令人氣憤的不合理行為或情況

an action or situation that people feel is so wrong or unreasonable that it deserves strong criticism, even though it may not actually break any law

例句

Luca told the chef it was a crime to serve pasta that tasted of nothing at all.

Luca 對廚師說，端出毫無味道的義大利麵簡直是罪過。

it is a crime + to-infinitive — expressing strong disapproval

Throwing away trays of fresh bread while people queue at food banks is a crime.

把一盤盤新鮮麵包丟掉，卻有人還在食物銀行排隊，真是罪過。

同義詞
  • outrage

    focuses more on the anger the act causes rather than the act itself

  • scandal

    emphasises public shock and loss of trust, often about institutions

  • disgrace

    stresses shame and loss of respect rather than any legal dimension

文法句型

it is a crime + to-infinitive

a crime against + noun

call something a crime

用法筆記

This use is always figurative — nobody faces legal punishment for these 'crimes.' The speaker uses the word to express strong personal disapproval. It often appears in spoken English, especially in the patterns 'it is a crime to...' and 'a crime against...' The tone is emotional rather than legal.

常見錯誤

❌He was arrested for a crime against fashion.' (when speaking literally about the police).
✅The magazine joked that his outfit was a crime against fashion.
💡this figurative use is humour or exaggeration; do not use it in serious legal contexts.

4. books, films, and television programmes that tell stories about criminal acts an

4.名詞B1
釋義

犯罪題材

以犯罪與偵查為主題的創作類型

books, films, and television programmes that tell stories about criminal acts and the effort to solve them

例句

Mert has read every book about real crimes that the city library keeps on its shelves.

Mert 讀遍了市立圖書館書架上每一本關於真實案件的犯罪題材書籍。

books about crimes — describing the genre through a prepositional phrase

Gabriela watched a documentary about crimes that went unsolved for over thirty years.

Gabriela 看了一部關於超過三十年未破案件的犯罪題材紀錄片。

同義詞
  • detective fiction

    narrower; specifically about a detective solving the crime rather than the broader genre

  • mystery

    broader; includes stories where the central puzzle may not involve a crime at all

  • thriller

    focuses on suspense and excitement rather than the investigation itself

文法句型

books/films/dramas/series + about crimes

fiction + about crimes

a novel + in which someone investigates crimes

用法筆記

This sense uses 'crimes' in phrases describing media about criminal investigation. The word stays plural but the sense is uncountable — you cannot say 'two crimes fictions.' The plural 'crimes' works naturally after prepositions: 'books about crimes,' 'fiction about crimes,' or in relative clauses: 'a novel in which a detective investigates crimes.'

常見錯誤

❌I enjoy watching crimes dramas.
✅I enjoy watching dramas about crimes.
💡the genre label uses the singular attributive noun ('crime drama'), not the plural. The plural 'crimes' fits naturally in prepositional phrases: 'dramas about crimes,' 'fiction about crimes.'