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Synonyms

decriminalize

American  
[dee-krim-uh-nl-ahyz] / diˈkrɪm ə nlˌaɪz /
especially British, decriminalise

verb (used with object)

decriminalized, decriminalizing

  1. to eliminate criminal penalties for or remove legal restrictions against.

    to decriminalize marijuana.
decriminalize British  
/ diːˈkrɪmənəˌlaɪz /

verb

  1. (tr) to remove (an action) from the legal category of criminal offence

    to decriminalize the possession of marijuana
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • decriminalization noun

Etymology

Origin of decriminalize

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; de- + criminal + -ize

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.