(1)罪(行)(offence punishable by law)[C]：commit a serious/minor～犯下大/轻罪;Murder is a～. 谋杀是犯罪。the～of murder谋杀罪;be convicted of～s against humanity被判犯有反人类罪;the～of embezzling/not telling the truth in a court of law/robbery/treason盗用公款/在法庭上说假话/抢劫/叛国罪;〖同〗offence;

(2)犯罪活动(unlawful activity in general)[U]：prevent/detect/fight against～防止犯罪/侦察犯罪/与犯罪作斗争;C～ is on the increase.犯罪活动不断增加。take to a life of～开始犯罪生涯;～prevention rates/fiction/novels/literature/writers犯罪防范率/犯罪小说/犯罪小说/犯罪文学作品/写犯罪作品的作家;〖同〗offence

(3)罪过，蠢事(foolish or immoral act;shame)[C，通常a～]：It is a～to waste so much food.浪费这么多食物是罪过。It would be a～to stay inside on such a beautiful day.这么好的天闭门不出真是愚蠢。The widespread destruction of wooded areas is a～against nature.到处毁坏林区是危害自然的罪行。〖同〗sin，wrongdoing，misdeed;

→͵crimi′nology n 犯罪(刑事)学;͵crimi-′nologist n 犯罪(刑事)学专家;′criminal n & adj;

【辨异】crime与offence都表示“犯罪”。crime通常指任何严重违犯人类法律的行为;offence 意义较广，指违背人类法律或神的法则，如：an offence against morals(违背道德罪)。