Home > W Words > white-collar crime

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.

Related Video

Additional Information

Related Terms


Works Consulted

Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 2011. Sociology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Briggs, Steven M., and Joan Friedman. 2009. Criminology For Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Brinkerhoff, David, Lynn White, Suzanne Ortega, and Rose Weitz. 2011. Essentials of Sociology. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Brym, Robert J., and John Lie. 2007. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Clinard, Marshall Barron, and Robert Frank Meier. 2011. Sociology of Deviant Behavior. 14th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Ferrante, Joan. 2011a. Seeing Sociology: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Ferrante, Joan. 2011b. Sociology: A Global Perspective. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.

Henslin, James M. 2012. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Hughes, Michael, and Carolyn J. Kroehler. 2011. Sociology: The Core. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Kimmel, Michael S., and Amy Aronson. 2012. Sociology Now. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Macionis, John. 2012. Sociology. 14th ed. Boston: Pearson.

Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).

Marsh, Ian, and Mike Keating, eds. 2006. Sociology: Making Sense of Society. 3rd ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Schaefer, Richard. 2013. Sociology: A Brief Introduction. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Siegel, Larry J., and Clemens Bartollas. 2011. Corrections Today. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Siegel, Larry J., and John L. Worrall. 2012. Introduction to Criminal Justice. 13th ed. Belmont: CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Siegel, Larry J., and John L. Worrall. 2013. Essentials of Criminal Justice. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Shepard, Jon M. 2010. Sociology. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Shepard, Jon M., and Robert W. Greene. 2003. Sociology and You. New York: Glencoe.

Tischler, Henry L. 2011. Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).

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 March 28, 2024 (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 March 28, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/white-collar-crime/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“white-collar crime.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/white-collar-crime/>.