犯罪又称为犯法，指做出触犯刑事法律规范的行为，不同于违反了民事、行政、纪律等法律规范，而在一般意义中，"犯罪"一词也可指侵犯其他同类个体（他人）或严重违背社会道德，而普遍不被社会容忍的行为。被裁定罪名成立的人即罪人或称罪犯，在中华人民共和国称为犯人或者犯罪分子或者犯罪嫌疑人，在****称为犯罪行为人、犯罪人或者行为人。研究犯罪的学科称为犯罪学。

依现代的刑法来看，犯罪没有一个简单又广为接受的定义，不过在法律中还是为了特定的因素而为犯罪下定义。

最通用的定义是犯罪是由法律定义出来的（若某事被适用的法律视为是犯罪，那就是犯罪）。另一种定义是犯罪是一种不止对其他个体有害，对群体或是国家也有害的行为，法律会订定禁止这様的事，并且会有订定罚则。

In ordinary language, the term crime denotes an unlawful act punishable by a state. The term "crime" does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition, though statutory definitions have been provided for certain purposes. The most popular view is that crime is a category created by law; in other words, something is a crime if declared as such by the relevant and applicable law. One proposed definition is that a crime or offence (or criminal offence) is an act harmful not only to some individual or individuals but also to a community, society or the state ("a public wrong"). Such acts are forbidden and punishable by law.