Definition

Noun: A serious violation of international law, particularly the laws and customs of war, committed during an armed conflict. These are acts considered to be beyond acceptable military conduct and are prosecutable under international law.

Usage

A "war crime" is a specific legal concept. It is used to describe acts for which individuals, including military commanders and political leaders, can be held criminally responsible. The term is often used in legal, political, and historical contexts.

Examples

• The tribunal was established to prosecute individuals accused of war crimes.
• Targeting civilian populations is considered a war crime.
• The general was charged with war crimes for ordering the destruction of hospitals.

Advanced Usage

• "To commit a war crime": This is the standard phrase for describing the act.
  • The evidence suggested the soldiers had committed a war crime.
• "War crimes tribunal/court": A special court established to try such crimes.
  • He was convicted by an international war crimes tribunal.

Variants and Related Words

• War criminal (noun): A person who has committed a war crime.
  • The fugitive war criminal was finally captured.

Different Meanings

As a specific legal term, "war crime" does not have widely different common meanings. Its core meaning is tied to violations of the laws of armed conflict, such as the Geneva Conventions.

Synonyms

• Atrocity: (While often used in a similar context, "atrocity" is a broader, less legal term for an extremely wicked or cruel act.)
• Violation of the laws of war: (This is a descriptive synonym rather than a direct replacement.)

Idioms

• No direct idioms use the specific term "war crime" due to its serious and technical nature.

Phrasal Verbs

• No common phrasal verbs are formed with "war crime."

Noun

1. a crime committed in wartime; violation of rules of war