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 race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability)

Examples of hate crime in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The November 2023 shooting, weeks after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, spawned calls for a hate crime investigation. — Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

In the decades since, the persistence of fear-mongering and the growth of anti-Muslim sentiment and hate crimes has been hard to miss. — Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026

And in all the years since, the hate crime rate against Muslims has remained higher than before 9/11. — Joshua M. Davidson, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026

But amid the national unity that many remember, the attacks also fanned mistrust, prejudice and hate crimes directed at Muslims. — Jennifer Peltz, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

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