true crime

noun

: a nonfiction genre of literature, film, podcasts, etc. that depicts and examines real crime cases
Fans of true crime will enjoy this collection of tales from the annals of American justice …—Jennifer Moore
—usually used before another noun
a true crime podcast/documentary/novel
In each episode, legal and criminal justice experts give you the inside scoop on the most shocking true crime stories … to hit the news.—LeeAnn Huntoon
As true crime podcasts, TV shows, books and online content continue to prove popular, cases never truly fade from the spotlight.—Bethany Bruner

Examples of true crime in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Discovery+ content spans food, home, relationships, true crime, paranormal, adventure, natural history and more. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026 This comes after Radial in March bought the New Dominion catalog, comprising more than 600 hours of content in the true crime, investigation and paranormal genres. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026 Law&Crime has a large online presence in the true crime and legal content spaces. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026 Week after week, HBO Max delivers the documentary goods, and true crime fans will flip for the very weird The Pet Cemetery Murders. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for true crime

Word History

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of true crime was in 1923

Rhymes for true crime

See All Rhymes for true crime

Browse Nearby Words

true course
true crime
true discount
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“True crime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/true%20crime. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fervid

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All