illegalize

Other forms: illegalized

To illegalize something is to make it illegal, or to announce that it's against the law. When a city's police set a new curfew, they illegalize kids and teenagers being out at night.

The verb illegalize is a somewhat informal way to say "make something illegal." Your town might illegalize smoking in public places or your state senators could vote to illegalize dog fighting. In either case, something previously allowed is being made illegal. It's considered better grammar to say "make illegal," or even "criminalize," since illegalize is a relatively new verb constructed from illegal, "against the law," and the verb-forming suffix ize.

Definitions of illegalize

1. verb

   declare illegal; outlaw
   synonyms: criminalise, criminalize, illegalise, outlaw

   types:

   ban, censor

   forbid the public distribution of ( a movie or a newspaper)

   embargo

   ban the publication of (documents), as for security or copyright reasons

   type of:

   disallow, forbid, interdict, nix, prohibit, proscribe, veto

   command against