serious crime — major crime
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
A crime that is very severe or dangerous, such as murder, robbery, or assault, and usually has strong punishments.
Say it like a native
Textbook He was convicted of a grave criminal offence.
Native He was convicted of a serious crime.
'A grave criminal offence' is courtroom-formal; 'serious crime' is the everyday pairing.
Pattern: serious crime (noun phrase); commit a serious crime; be charged with a serious crime
In use
- The police are investigating a serious crime that happened downtown last night.law
- In my opinion, people who commit serious crimes should receive strict punishments to protect society.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Murder is a seriously crime.
✓ Murder is a serious crime.
'Serious' (adjective) + crime; 'seriously' is the adverb.
Common collocations
a serious crime— a serious crime, commit a serious crime, serious offence, a violent crime
Don't confuse it
Contrast with 'minor crime', which refers to less harmful or less serious illegal acts.