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

Christopher Nastasa, 39, was arrested on 19 charges, including robbery, assault, petit larceny and criminal mischief as hate crimes, for the March 17 attack, according to police. —Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2026

Counterterror police are investigating the fire as an antisemitic hate crime. —ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026

Authorities have arrested six people on hate crime allegations after an antisemitic attack on a University of Pittsburgh Jewish student, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026

Six people were indicted on hate crime charges after an antisemitic attack on a Jewish University of Pittsburgh student in 2024, federal prosecutors announced on Monday. —Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 30 Mar. 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