Criminal law offences

The terms offense, criminal offense, and crime are often used as interchangeable synonyms.
The term offense may be frequently used to describe a minor crime.
However, an offense is not the same as a civil wrong, a term used in the context of tort law.

Although there are many different kinds of crimes, criminal acts can generally be divided into five primary categories:

Offense is a legal term used to refer to conducts or omissions that violate and are punishable under criminal law.
The terms offense, criminal offense, and crime are often used as interchangeable synonyms.
The term offense may be frequently used to describe a minor crime.