vices

Noun (1)

vice (plural vices)

1. Bad or immoral behaviour. (Especially often, a habit that harms oneself or others)
   • Pride is a vice, not a virtue.

   Synonyms:

   profligacy, carrying-on, Corinthianism, knavery, rakehood

   Antonyms:

   virtue

2. Any of various crimes related (depending on jurisdiction) to weapons, prostitution, pornography, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, 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.
   • 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.1839, Scholefield v. Robb; cited in Gilligan, Brenda, Practical Horse Law, 2002, →ISBN

Noun (2)

vice (plural vices)

1. A tool for drawing lead into cames, or flat grooved rods, for casements.
2. A winding or spiral staircase.
3. (obsolete) A grip or grasp.
   • Fang. If I but fiſt him once: if he come but within my Vice.c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […]...

See all 10 meanings of vice