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

Brewer pleaded guilty in 2019 to a federal hate crime and was sentenced to three years in prison. —Sade Ajishegiri, Nic Napier, Max Reich and Isabella Vesperini, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Sep. 2024

The incident, which happened in the 20th precinct, is not being investigated as a hate crime but could be escalated depending on the evidence uncovered, the spokesperson said. —Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2024

The department’s review of Berkeley found that among other violations, the university didn’t report hate crimes or disclose security policies. —Molly Gibbs, The Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2024

Police later released surveillance footage of the suspects and classified the incidents as hate crimes. —Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 8 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

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