"decriminalize" meaning in English

See decriminalize in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

IPA: /diːˈkɹɪmɪnəlaɪz/ [UK] Forms: decriminalizes [present, singular, third-person], decriminalizing [participle, present], decriminalized [participle, past], decriminalized [past]
Etymology: Back-formation from decriminalization, equivalent to de- + criminalize. Etymology templates: {{root|en|ine-pro|*krey-}}, {{back-formation|en|decriminalization}} Back-formation from decriminalization, {{af|en|de-|criminalize}} de- + criminalize Head templates: {{en-verb}} decriminalize (third-person singular simple present decriminalizes, present participle decriminalizing, simple past and past participle decriminalized)
  1. (transitive) To change the laws so something is no longer a crime. Tags: transitive Categories (topical): Crime Synonyms: legalize, decriminalise Derived forms: decriminalization, decriminalizer Translations (to change the laws so something is no longer a crime): despenalitzar (Catalan), laillistaa (Finnish), dekriminalisoida (Finnish), dépénaliser (French), entkriminalisieren (German), dekriminalizál (Hungarian), depenalizzare (Italian), decriminalizzare (Italian), 非犯罪化する (hihanzaika suru) (Japanese), декриминализира (dekriminalizira) (Macedonian), descriminar (Portuguese), descriminalizar (Portuguese), despenalizar (Spanish), descriminalizar (Spanish), avkriminalisera (Swedish)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*krey-"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "decriminalization"
      },
      "expansion": "Back-formation from decriminalization",
      "name": "back-formation"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de-",
        "3": "criminalize"
      },
      "expansion": "de- + criminalize",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Back-formation from decriminalization, equivalent to de- + criminalize.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "decriminalizes",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "decriminalizing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "decriminalized",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "decriminalized",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "decriminalize (third-person singular simple present decriminalizes, present participle decriminalizing, simple past and past participle decriminalized)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "word": "criminalize"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English back-formations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
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          "parents": [
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          "kind": "other",
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        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
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        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Japanese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Macedonian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
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          "source": "w"
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        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Crime",
          "orig": "en:Crime",
          "parents": [
            "Criminal law",
            "Society",
            "Law",
            "All topics",
            "Justice",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "decriminalization"
        },
        {
          "word": "decriminalizer"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2020 April 11, Thomas Fuller, “Oregon Decriminalizes Small Amounts of Heroin and Cocaine; Four States Legalize Marijuana”, in The New York Times:",
          "text": "The march to decriminalize drugs moved further across the nation on Tuesday despite continued federal prohibition.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020 April 12, Deirdre Walsh, “House Approves Decriminalizing Marijuana; Bill To Stall In Senate”, in NPR:",
          "text": "The House of Representatives approved decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level on Friday in the first time Congress has acted on the issue.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 June 18, Eric Westervelt, “Oregon's Pioneering Drug Decriminalization Experiment Is Now Facing The Hard Test”, in NPR:",
          "text": "Last fall Oregon voters decriminalized possession of small amounts of almost all hard drugs, taking a groundbreaking step away from the arrest, charge and jail model for possession that's been a centerpiece of American drug policy since President Richard Nixon declared his War on Drugs 50 years ago this week.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To change the laws so something is no longer a crime."
      ],
      "id": "en-decriminalize-en-verb-Ug0PhvD7",
      "links": [
        [
          "crime",
          "crime"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To change the laws so something is no longer a crime."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "legalize"
        },
        {
          "word": "decriminalise"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "despenalitzar"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "laillistaa"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "dekriminalisoida"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "dépénaliser"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "entkriminalisieren"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "dekriminalizál"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "depenalizzare"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "decriminalizzare"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "hihanzaika suru",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "非犯罪化する"
        },
        {
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "dekriminalizira",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "декриминализира"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "descriminar"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "descriminalizar"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "despenalizar"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "descriminalizar"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
          "word": "avkriminalisera"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/diːˈkɹɪmɪnəlaɪz/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "decriminalize"
}
{
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "decriminalization"
    },
    {
      "word": "decriminalizer"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
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      "args": {
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        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*krey-"
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      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "decriminalization"
      },
      "expansion": "Back-formation from decriminalization",
      "name": "back-formation"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de-",
        "3": "criminalize"
      },
      "expansion": "de- + criminalize",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Back-formation from decriminalization, equivalent to de- + criminalize.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "decriminalizes",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "decriminalizing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "decriminalized",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "decriminalized",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "decriminalize (third-person singular simple present decriminalizes, present participle decriminalizing, simple past and past participle decriminalized)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "word": "criminalize"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
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        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
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        "English verbs",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Terms with Catalan translations",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Hungarian translations",
        "Terms with Italian translations",
        "Terms with Japanese translations",
        "Terms with Macedonian translations",
        "Terms with Portuguese translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations",
        "Terms with Swedish translations",
        "en:Crime"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2020 April 11, Thomas Fuller, “Oregon Decriminalizes Small Amounts of Heroin and Cocaine; Four States Legalize Marijuana”, in The New York Times:",
          "text": "The march to decriminalize drugs moved further across the nation on Tuesday despite continued federal prohibition.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2020 April 12, Deirdre Walsh, “House Approves Decriminalizing Marijuana; Bill To Stall In Senate”, in NPR:",
          "text": "The House of Representatives approved decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level on Friday in the first time Congress has acted on the issue.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2021 June 18, Eric Westervelt, “Oregon's Pioneering Drug Decriminalization Experiment Is Now Facing The Hard Test”, in NPR:",
          "text": "Last fall Oregon voters decriminalized possession of small amounts of almost all hard drugs, taking a groundbreaking step away from the arrest, charge and jail model for possession that's been a centerpiece of American drug policy since President Richard Nixon declared his War on Drugs 50 years ago this week.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To change the laws so something is no longer a crime."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "crime",
          "crime"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To change the laws so something is no longer a crime."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "legalize"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/diːˈkɹɪmɪnəlaɪz/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "decriminalise"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "despenalitzar"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "laillistaa"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "dekriminalisoida"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "dépénaliser"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "entkriminalisieren"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "dekriminalizál"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "depenalizzare"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "decriminalizzare"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "hihanzaika suru",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "非犯罪化する"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "dekriminalizira",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "декриминализира"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "descriminar"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "descriminalizar"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "despenalizar"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "descriminalizar"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "to change the laws so something is no longer a crime",
      "word": "avkriminalisera"
    }
  ],
  "word": "decriminalize"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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