crim ‧ i ‧ nal ‧ ize BrE AmE ( also criminalise British English ) /ˈkrɪmən ə l-aɪz, ˈkrɪmɪn ə l-aɪz/ verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ crime , ↑ criminal , ↑ criminologist , ↑ criminology ; verb : ↑ incriminate , ↑ criminalize ≠ ↑ decriminalize ; adjective : ↑ criminal , ↑ incriminating ; adverb : ↑ criminally ]
to make something illegal, or to say that someone is a criminal because of something they have done OPP decriminalize :
The government has introduced new legislation to criminalize computer hacking.