Meaning & use
petty crimes
Last updated
“petty crimes” is a form of “petty crime”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
Minor offenses of small seriousness, such as shoplifting, vandalism or small thefts, usually punished lightly.
Grammar: Plural noun phrase: petty crimes are common here; the singular petty crime names one such offense or the general type.
Patterns
- commit petty crimes
- petty crimes such as something
Police say most arrests in the area are for petty crimes like pickpocketing.
He drifted into petty crimes as a teenager before turning his life around.
Courts often handle petty crimes with fines instead of prison.
Common combinations
- commit petty crimes
- They committed petty crimes to pay for food.
- a string of petty crimes
- He was arrested for a string of petty crimes.
- petty crimes such as theft
- The patrol focuses on petty crimes such as theft and graffiti.
- rise in petty crimes
- Residents reported a rise in petty crimes after the lights failed.
- deal with petty crimes
- Community officers deal with petty crimes before they escalate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- minor offenses
- It is more formal and legal in tone, while petty crimes is the everyday phrase.
- misdemeanors
- It is a specific legal category in American law, not just any small crime.
- small-time crime
- It is more informal and describes the criminal's scale as well as the offense.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: petty crimes or petty cash?
petty crimes vs petty cash
Petty cash is a small amount of money kept for minor business expenses, not an offense.
Practice
Shoplifting a chocolate bar is usually treated as one of the ___.
Choose one answer.
Petty crimes are small offenses such as minor theft. Felonies and frauds describe more serious matters.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “petty crimes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.