Interlinked Thematic Vocabulary Unit NÂș 17 v.14
Offenders in General
- accomplice |n| someone who helps a criminal to do something illegal.
- "Police believe the murderer must have had an accomplice."
- assailant |n| an attacker; someone who attacks another violently, or criminally.
- criminal |n| person guilty of a crime, breaking the law.
- "He is one of the most wanted criminals in the United States."
- "She was treated like a common criminal."
- crook |n| |col| one who makes a living by dishonest methods.
- "Some politicians are crooks, but not all of them."
- "They're just a bunch of crooks."
- culprit |n| a person who has donne something wrong or illegal.
- "The culprits were never found."
- "If I ever catch the culprit, he or she is in big trouble."
- delinquent |n| a young person who behaves badly and is likely to commit crimes (used especially in the phrase juvenile delinquent).
- "He later worked with juvenile delinquents in a Florida youth services program."
- desperado |n| a reckless or desperate person, esp. one ready to commit any violent illegal act.
- dodger |n| a shifty dishonest person.
- felon |n| someone who has committed a serious crime.
- "Convicted felons should not be allowed to profit from their crimes."
- gang |n| a group of criminals who work together.
- "Several gangs were operating in the area."
- grass |UK||col| / informer / stoolpigeon |US| |col| |n| someone, especially a criminal who helps the police to catch another criminal, usually by giving them information.
- "Acting on information from an informer, the police raided the house."
- gunman |n| a man who uses a gun to commit a crime such as murder or robbery.
- hood 1 |n| |slang| |short of hoodlum| a hoodlum; a thug.
- hood 2 |n| |slang| a rowdy or violent young person.
- intruder |n| someone who enters a place without permission in order to commit a crime.
- "Intruders had entered the house through a back window."
- mastermind |n| a highly intelligent person, especially one who plans and directs a complex or difficult project.
- "The mastermind of a robbery."
- outlaw / fugitive |n| criminal; person outside the protection of the law.
- offender |n| someone who breaks the law.
- "The courts should impose tougher punishments on offenders."
- "A special prison for young offender."
- perpetrator |n| a person who carries out a harmful, illegal, or immoral act.
- "The perpetrators of this horrific crime must be brought to justice."
- prisoner / convict / detainee / inmate / jailbird/ con / lifer / yardbird |n| someone who is kept in a prison as a punishment for a crime, or while they are waiting for their trial.
- "Prisoner may be locked in their cells for twenty-two hours a day."
- racketeer |n| a person engaged in illegal enterprises for profit.
- suspect |n| a person believed to have committed a crime or done something wrong, or something believed to ha ve caused something bad.
- "Police have issued a photograph of the suspect."
Kinds of Criminals
- robber |n| a person who commits robbery.
- murder |n| unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by a human being.
- kidnaper |n| someone who unlawfully seizes and detains a victim (usually for ransom).
- fraudster |n| someone who has committed a fraud.
- sex offender / sexual offender / sex abuser / sexual abuser |n| a person who has committed a sex crime or, in some instances, mere public urination. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crimes of a sexual nature; however, some sex offenders have simply violated a law contained in a sexual category.
- trafficker |n| someone who buys and sells illegal goods, especially drugs.
- terrorist |n| a person who uses terrorism in the pursuit of political aims.
People Related to Criminals
- Attorney General |UK| |n| the principal legal officer who represents the Crown or a state in legal proceedings and gives legal advice to the government.
- judge |n| a public officer appointed to decide cases in a law court.
- "The judge sentenced him to five years in prison."
- lawyer |n| a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice.
- police officer |n| a member of a police force.
- "She's a police officer."
- prosecutor |n| a government official who conducts criminal prosecutions on behalf of the state.
- "The tape recordings provided prosecutors with the evidence they needed to prove he'd been involved in the conspiracy."
- victim |n| a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime.
- "He defrauded his innocent victims of millions of pounds."
- witness |n| someone who sees an event and reports what happened.
- "Several witnesses testified that there had been two gunmen."
Some Offenders Adjectives
More
- lair |n| the room or home of a frightening or dangerous person.
- "He led the police to the criminals' lair."
- "Their only crime was to fight against terrorism there, in the city that is a lair for terrorists."
- "Soon Samana became a lair for pirates who pillaged passing ships."