50 Idioms About Crime With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms About Crime
1. Break the law
Meaning: To do something illegal.
In a Sentence: If you break the law, you must face the consequences.
Other Ways to Say: Commit a crime, Go against the law
2. Caught red-handed
Meaning: To be caught in the act of doing something wrong.
In a Sentence: Emma was caught red-handed taking cookies before dinner.
Other Ways to Say: Caught in the act, Caught with your hand in the cookie jar
3. Do time
Meaning: To serve a prison sentence.
In a Sentence: He did time for armed robbery.
Other Ways to Say: Serve a sentence, Be incarcerated
4. Behind bars
Meaning: In jail or prison.
In a Sentence: The robber ended up behind bars for his actions.
Other Ways to Say: In jail, Locked up
5. On the run
Meaning: Escaping or hiding from the police.
In a Sentence: The suspect has been on the run for weeks.
Other Ways to Say: Fleeing, Evading capture
6. Inside job
Meaning: A crime committed by someone within an organization.
In a Sentence: The bank heist was clearly an inside job.
Other Ways to Say: Internal theft, Inside conspiracy
7. Get away with murder
Meaning: To do something bad without being punished.
In a Sentence: He always gets away with murder because of his charm.
Other Ways to Say: Escape punishment, Dodge the consequences
8. Under the table
Meaning: Secretly and illegally.
In a Sentence: They were paying workers under the table to avoid taxes.
Other Ways to Say: Illegally, Off the books
9. Take the fall
Meaning: To accept the blame for something, often for someone else.
In a Sentence: He took the fall for the entire gang.
Other Ways to Say: Shoulder the blame, Be the scapegoat
10. On the take
Meaning: Receiving bribes.
In a Sentence: The corrupt officer was on the take for years.
Other Ways to Say: Accepting bribes, Corrupt
11. Crime doesn’t pay
Meaning: Engaging in crime will eventually lead to punishment.
In a Sentence: He realized that crime doesn’t pay after his arrest.
Other Ways to Say: Crime has consequences, Justice prevails
12. Face the music
Meaning: To accept the consequences of your actions.
In a Sentence: He had to face the music after being caught.
Other Ways to Say: Accept consequences, Own up to it
13. The long arm of the law
Meaning: The power and reach of the legal system.
In a Sentence: The long arm of the law eventually caught him.
Other Ways to Say: Justice system reach, Law enforcement power
14. In hot water
Meaning: In trouble or facing punishment.
In a Sentence: She got in hot water after lying to the police.
Other Ways to Say: In trouble, Facing consequences
15. Pull a fast one
Meaning: To deceive or trick someone.
In a Sentence: He pulled a fast one and cheated the system.
Other Ways to Say: Trick someone, Con
16. Clean getaway
Meaning: To escape without getting caught.
In a Sentence: The thief made a clean getaway before the police arrived.
Other Ways to Say: Successful escape, Slipped away
17. Cover one’s tracks
Meaning: To hide evidence of wrongdoing.
In a Sentence: He deleted the files to cover his tracks.
Other Ways to Say: Conceal actions, Hide evidence
18. Hit and run
Meaning: A car accident where the driver leaves without helping.
In a Sentence: The victim was injured in a hit and run.
Other Ways to Say: Fleeing accident, Drive off
19. Crime of passion
Meaning: A crime committed in a moment of strong emotion.
In a Sentence: The stabbing was ruled a crime of passion.
Other Ways to Say: Emotional crime, Impulsive offense
20. Get off scot-free
Meaning: To escape punishment.
In a Sentence: He got off scot-free due to lack of evidence.
Other Ways to Say: Avoid consequences, Not punished
21. Do someone in
Meaning: To kill or seriously harm someone.
In a Sentence: The mob boss ordered his rival to be done in.
Other Ways to Say: Eliminate, Murder
22. Fence (stolen goods)
Meaning: To buy and sell stolen goods.
In a Sentence: He made a fortune fencing electronics.
Other Ways to Say: Sell stolen items, Black market trading
23. Turn oneself in
Meaning: To surrender to the police.
In a Sentence: The fugitive finally turned himself in.
Other Ways to Say: Surrender, Report to authorities
24. Busted
Meaning: Caught or arrested.
In a Sentence: He got busted trying to rob a store.
Other Ways to Say: Caught, Nabbed
25. Blow the whistle
Meaning: To report illegal activity.
In a Sentence: She blew the whistle on the company’s fraud.
Other Ways to Say: Expose wrongdoing, Inform
26. Run afoul of the law
Meaning: To break the law.
In a Sentence: He ran afoul of the law during his teenage years.
Other Ways to Say: Commit a crime, Disobey the law
27. Lay down the law
Meaning: To enforce rules strictly.
In a Sentence: The new warden laid down the law immediately.
Other Ways to Say: Enforce rules, Be strict
28. A slap on the wrist
Meaning: A mild punishment.
In a Sentence: He only got a slap on the wrist for tax evasion.
Other Ways to Say: Light punishment, Gentle warning
29. Serve justice
Meaning: To uphold the law by punishing wrongdoers.
In a Sentence: The judge served justice swiftly.
Other Ways to Say: Enforce justice, Deliver punishment
30. On parole
Meaning: Released from prison under conditions.
In a Sentence: He was released on parole after five years.
Other Ways to Say: Conditional release, Supervised freedom
31. On probation
Meaning: A period of supervised freedom instead of prison.
In a Sentence: She is currently on probation for shoplifting.
Other Ways to Say: Under monitoring, Suspended sentence
32. Get a slap on the wrist
Meaning: To receive a light punishment.
In a Sentence: The politician got a slap on the wrist for bribery.
Other Ways to Say: Mild consequence, Light penalty
33. Hard time
Meaning: A long or difficult prison sentence.
In a Sentence: He was sentenced to 20 years of hard time.
Other Ways to Say: Long sentence, Harsh punishment
34. Bail out
Meaning: To pay money to get someone out of jail.
In a Sentence: His parents bailed him out after the arrest.
Other Ways to Say: Post bail, Secure release
35. Life sentence
Meaning: Imprisonment for life.
In a Sentence: The killer received a life sentence.
Other Ways to Say: Life in prison, No parole
36. Crime wave
Meaning: A sudden increase in criminal activity.
In a Sentence: The city is experiencing a crime wave.
Other Ways to Say: Spike in crime, Surge of offenses
37. White-collar crime
Meaning: Non-violent crime involving money or business.
In a Sentence: Embezzlement is a white-collar crime.
Other Ways to Say: Financial fraud, Corporate crime
38. Black market
Meaning: Illegal buying and selling of goods.
In a Sentence: They were buying medicines on the black market.
Other Ways to Say: Underground trade, Illegal market
39. Crime ring
Meaning: An organized group that commits crimes.
In a Sentence: The police busted a major crime ring.
Other Ways to Say: Criminal network, Syndicate
40. Beat the rap
Meaning: To escape conviction in court.
In a Sentence: He hired the best lawyer to beat the rap.
Other Ways to Say: Avoid conviction, Get cleared
41. In custody
Meaning: Held by the police.
In a Sentence: The suspect is currently in custody.
Other Ways to Say: Detained, Under arrest
42. Have a record
Meaning: To have a criminal history.
In a Sentence: He couldn’t get a job because he had a record.
Other Ways to Say: Criminal background, Prior offenses
43. Turn to crime
Meaning: Start committing illegal acts.
In a Sentence: He turned to crime after losing his job.
Other Ways to Say: Become a criminal, Take a wrong path
44. Cold case
Meaning: An unsolved criminal investigation.
In a Sentence: Detectives reopened a cold case from 1990.
Other Ways to Say: Unsolved case, Open file
45. On the witness stand
Meaning: Giving testimony in court.
In a Sentence: She took the oath on the witness stand.
Other Ways to Say: Testifying, Under oath
46. Get the third degree
Meaning: To be intensely questioned.
In a Sentence: The suspect got the third degree at the station.
Other Ways to Say: Be interrogated, Pressed for answers
47. Make a killing
Meaning: To earn a large profit, often unethically.
In a Sentence: He made a killing selling counterfeit goods.
Other Ways to Say: Earn big, Profit greatly
48. Crooked
Meaning: Dishonest or corrupt.
In a Sentence: The mayor turned out to be crooked.
Other Ways to Say: Corrupt, Shady
49. Cover-up
Meaning: An attempt to hide wrongdoing.
In a Sentence: The company staged a cover-up of the accident.
Other Ways to Say: Concealment, Suppression
50. Throw the book at
Meaning: To punish someone very harshly.
In a Sentence: The judge threw the book at the repeat offender.
Other Ways to Say: Punish severely, Come down hard
