vice
Pluralvices
Pluralvices
- 1Bad or wicked behavior, or one bad habit that someone has.
Like a bad habit that slowly does harm.
Lying is a vice.
A life of vice made him sick and poor.
UsageA life of vice means a life of bad behavior. A vice is one bad habit.
Similarwickedness, immorality, sin, depravity, evil
- 2Ranking just below a higher person and able to take their place, used in titles.
Like a helper who takes the leader's place when the leader is gone.
She was elected vice president of the club.
The vice captain leads the team when the captain is away.
UsageUsed before a title, sometimes with a hyphen: vice president or vice-president.
- 3Another spelling of vise: a tool that holds something tightly while you work on it.
He tightened the vice to hold the plank steady.
She clamped the metal rod in a vice before filing it.
UsageAmericans write vise.
Less common meanings
- 4Used before a name or thing to mean 'instead of' or 'in its place.'
Like writing 'instead of' between the new name and the old one.
Colonel Adams took command vice Colonel Reed, who had retired.
He was gardener and out-door man, vice Upton, resigned.
1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of PendennisHere, vice means instead of, taking the place of someone.UsageUsed in official notices. In other places, say instead of.
Note
- 5A crime that involves things like gambling, drugs, selling sex, or illegal alcohol.
Officers cracked down on vice in the neighborhood last year.
Selling drugs is treated as vice under local law.
UsageSay crack down on vice.
Note
- 6Short for vice squad: the police unit that deals with crimes like gambling, drugs, and prostitution.
The detective worked in vice for ten years.
Vice raided the club just after midnight.
UsageSay work in vice, with no the.
- 7Another spelling of vise: to hold something tightly, the way a clamp does.
Camillo. As he had ſeen’t, or beene an Instrument / To vice you to't, that you haue toucht his Queene / Forbiddenly.
c. 1610, William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”Note
- 8A bad habit or fault in a horse that makes it dangerous, unhealthy, or less useful.
Like a bad habit in a pet that makes it hard to handle.
Biting is a dangerous vice in a young horse.
The trainer worked for months to cure the pony's vice.
Similarfault
Note
- 9A firm hold or grip on something.
Fang. If I but fiſt him once: if he come but within my Vice.
c. 1596, William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth,. Epilogue.”Here, vice means a firm hold or grip.Note
- 10A person who takes the place of someone higher up and does their job.
- 11A set of stairs that curves around and around as it goes up.
- 12A tool used to pull lead into thin grooved strips that hold window glass.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origins
It comes from Latin "vitium," meaning a fault or blemish, and reached English through Old French.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- English vice derives from Latin vitium through Old French. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin vitium means a fault or blemish. en.wiktionary.org
It comes from Latin "vice," meaning "in place of."
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Vice derives from Latin vice. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin vice means “in place of.” en.wiktionary.org