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white-collar crime

Definition of White-collar Crime

(noun) A nonviolent crime of opportunity, often involving money.

Example of White-collar Crime

  • embezzlement: The theft of funds or property entrusted to you but owned by another.

White-collar Crime Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: white col·lar crime

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /wIEt-kAHl-uhr krIEm/
  • British English – /wiet-kOl-uh krIEm/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /waɪt-ˈkɑlər kraɪm/
  • British English – /ˈwaɪtˈkɒlə kraɪm/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: white-collar crimes
  • Term originates from the white dress shirts worn by professionals such as bankers and lawyers, as opposed to the denim or blue uniform shirts worn by wage laborers or blue-collar workers.
  • A type of crime.
  • Also called corporate crime.

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Additional Information

Related Terms


Works Consulted

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Cite the Definition of White-collar Crime

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “white-collar crime.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved June 5, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/white-collar-crime/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

white-collar crime. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/white-collar-crime/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “white-collar crime.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/white-collar-crime/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“white-collar crime.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 5 Jun. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/white-collar-crime/>.
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