war crime

noun

: a crime (such as genocide or maltreatment of prisoners) committed during or in connection with war
usually used in plural
war criminal noun

Examples of war crime in a Sentence

He was found guilty of torture and other war crimes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
More | Thousands of war artifacts — and body of Red Army soldier — unearthed on Poland coast In Gdańsk, Poland, archaeologists unearthed over 14,000 artifacts, including a military bunker with evidence of German war crimes and the remains of a Red Army soldier. Stories By Real-Time News Team, With Ai Summarization, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2025 The president doesn’t understand why Zelenskyy is not happy with Putin for invading the smaller country and beating the bejesus out of it, for decimating a generation of young Ukrainian soldiers, for breaking ceasefires and committing war crimes. Maureen Dowd, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2025 Forcible population transfers are banned under international law, and, if implemented as a policy, could be a war crime, rights groups say. Julia Frankel, TIME, 28 Feb. 2025 Selective condemnation of war crimes allows atrocities to flourish. Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for war crime

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of war crime was in 1906

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“War crime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war%20crime. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Legal Definition

war crime

noun
: an act committed usually during an international war for which individual criminal liability will be imposed by a domestic or international tribunal
specifically : a violation of the laws or customs of war as embodied or recognized by international treaty, court decisions, or established practice
usually used in pl.

Note: Following World War II, the Charter of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg first codified war crimes including crimes against humanity. Also encompassed in the legal concept of war crimes is the crime of planning or waging a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties.

More from Merriam-Webster on war crime

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