English
vice
see also: Vice
Pronunciation
  • (British, America) IPA: /vaɪs/
Noun

vice (plural vices)

  1. A bad habit.
    Gluttony is a vice, not a virtue.
  2. (legal) Any of various crimes related (depending on jurisdiction) to prostitution, pornography, gambling, alcohol, or drugs.
  3. A defect in the temper or behaviour of a horse, such as to make the animal dangerous, to injure its health, or to diminish its usefulness.
    • 1839, From the case of Scholefield v. Robb Gilligan, Brenda (2002) Practical Horse Law‎, →ISBN: “So a horse with say, navicular disease, making him suitable only for light hacking, would probably be unsound, whereas rearing would be a vice, being a "defect in the temper... making it dangerous". A vice can however render a horse unsound - possibly a crib biter will damage its wind.”
Antonyms Related terms

Translations Translations
  • French: affaire de mœurs
  • German: Sittenvergehen, Sittlichkeitsdelikt, Sittlichkeitsverbrechen
  • Italian: delitto a sfondo sessuale
  • Russian: поро́к
Noun

vice (plural vices)

  1. A mechanical screw apparatus used for clamping or holding (also spelled vise).
  2. A tool for drawing lead into cames, or flat grooved rods, for casements.
  3. (obsolete) A grip or grasp.
    • 1597, William Shakespeare, King Henry IV, Second Part, II. I. 22:
      Fang. An I but fist him once; an a’ come but within my vice,–
  4. (architecture) A winding or spiral staircase.
Verb

vice (vices, present participle vicing; past and past participle viced)

  1. To hold or squeeze with a vice, or as if with a vice.
    • 1610, William Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale, I. ii. 416:
      Camillo. As he had seen’t, or been an instrument / To vice you to't, that you have touched his queen / Forbiddenly
    • The coachman's hand was viced between his upper and lower thigh.
Adjective

vice (not comparable)

  1. in place of; subordinate to; designating a person below another in rank
    vice president
    vice admiral
Preposition
  1. instead of, in place of
    A. B. was appointed postmaster vice C. D. resigned.
Noun

vice (plural vices)

  1. One who acts in place of a superior.
    • The health of the Vice was proposed in appropriate language; in replying, Mr. Marriott thanked the company […]
Vice
Proper noun
  1. Surname


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