vice
/vaɪs/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.71 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Any of various crimes related (depending on jurisdiction) to weapons, prostitution, pornography, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.
noun
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.
noun
Alternative spelling of vise (“mechanical screw apparatus used for clamping”).
noun
A winding or spiral staircase.
Example Sentences
- "Pride is a vice, not a virtue."
- "Smoking was a vice Sally picked up in high school."
- "Shepard: I wear a lot of hats, Mr. Vargas. Some days I shut down criminals. Some days I defuse nukes. Some days I like to enjoy private vices. You understand me?"
- "It's a rush you can't deny / A little violence is the ultimate drug / Let's get high / You've been powerless to your vices / Self-control defies you"
- "I should not be left to my own devices / they come with prices and vices / I end up in crisis / Tale as old as time"
- "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."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: vice, vitium
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /vaɪs/
- British English: /vaɪs/