hate crime

noun

: any of various crimes (such as assault or defacement of property) when motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group (such as one based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation)

Examples of hate crime in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 20-year-old Palestinian American, who prosecutors say supports Hamas and Hezbollah, was charged with multiple federal hate crimes. —Eric Shawn, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025

Officers arrested the 37-year-old Fairfield man and booked him into jail on felony counts of assault, child endangerment and hate crime, according to police. —Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2025

The offense falls under Brazil’s hate crime law, which in 2019 expanded to include homophobia and transphobia, and threatens prison time for the convicted. —Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025

In some cases, the religious hate has led to hate crimes and violence, such as the recent mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in August, which was mentioned by faith leaders during the panel. —Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hate crime

• aforetime
• allozyme
• anytime
• christmastime
• cybercrime
• dinnertime
• guggenheim
• isozyme
• lysozyme
• maritime
• mesenchyme
• overtime

Kids Definition

hate crime

noun

plural hate crimes

: any of various crimes (as assault) when motivated by hostility to the victim based on social characteristics (as color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin)

Legal Definition

hate crime

noun

: a crime that violates the victim's civil rights and that is motivated by hostility to the victim's race, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender