offense
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offense
A punishable act or violation of a law. This term is used especially in legal language.
Diebstahl ist ein strafrechtliches Delikt, das mit einer Geld- oder Freiheitsstrafe geahndet wird.
Theft is a criminal offense that is punishable by a fine or imprisonment.
'Delikt' (offense) is a formal term from legal and police language. It is rarely used in normal everyday speech.
Die Polizei untersucht das Delikt und sucht nach Zeugen.
The police are investigating the offense and looking for witnesses.
Common verbs used with 'Delikt' (offense) are 'ein Delikt begehen' (to commit an offense), 'ein Delikt aufklären' (to solve an offense), or 'jemanden wegen eines Delikts anzeigen' (to report someone for an offense).
Er wurde beschuldigt, ein schweres Delikt begangen zu haben.
He was accused of having committed a serious offense.
'Delikt' (offense) is often used as the second part of compound nouns to specify the type of crime. Typical examples are 'Eigentumsdelikt' (property offense), 'Gewaltdelikt' (violent offense), or 'Verkehrsdelikt' (traffic offense).
Fahren unter Alkoholeinfluss ist ein schweres Verkehrsdelikt.
Driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious traffic offense.
In formal legal language, 'Delikt' (offense) is often used with the genitive to express affiliation or a reason. For example: 'Er wurde eines Delikts überführt.' (He was convicted of an offense.)
Der Angeklagte wurde des Betrugsdelikts für schuldig befunden.
The defendant was found guilty of the fraud offense.
crime
Both words refer to punishable acts. Verbrechen emphasizes that the act is serious; Delikt is a formal, more neutral general term that makes no statement about its seriousness. Verbrechen is appropriate for a particularly serious act, while Delikt is used as a general legal designation.
Die Polizei untersucht den geringfügigen Verstoß als Delikt.
The police are investigating the minor violation as an offense.
Die Polizei untersucht den bewaffneten Raub als schweres Verbrechen.
The police are investigating the armed robbery as a serious crime.
