hate crime

noun

|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018

Definition of hate crime

: 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)

Recent Examples of hate crime from the Web

There were seven reported LGBT hate crime incidents, according to the report.

— kate magill, Howard County Times, "Howard's LGBTQ groups planning first Pride parade, community outreach," 20 June 2018
The endless news cycle shows the impact of gun violence, hate crimes, and families ripped apart by deportation and bans that keep people from certain countries from entering the United States.

— kimberly mcallister, Teen Vogue, "Chloe x Halle Love Proving People Wrong," 14 June 2018
Wochit A GoFundMe account has been organized for a Phoenix man who was injured in a possible hate crime over the weekend.

— robert gundran, azcentral, "GoFundMe set up for Phoenix man injured in possible hate crime," 26 Apr. 2018
Philadelphia police track hate crimes but don’t break down which group was targeted.

— michael boren, Philly.com, "Tracking crimes against LGBT people is hard. The Justice Department could make it even harder," 13 Apr. 2018
Authorities are investigating the attacks as a possible hate crime.

— alix langone, Time, "Latest Austin Explosion Likely the Work of 'Serial Bomber,' Chief Says. Here's What to Know About the Attacks," 19 Mar. 2018
Because two of the victims were African Americans and one was Hispanic, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said investigators were also viewing the attacks as possible hate crimes.

— editors, USA TODAY, "The price Stormy Daniels is willing to pay for the freedom to tell all," 12 Mar. 2018
With text drawn in part from court transcripts, this complex, multilayered piece of theater chronicles the case of Matthew Shepard, the gay University of Wyoming student whose 1998 murder paved the way for passage of federal hate crimes legislation.

— albert williams, Chicago Reader, "Twenty years on, The Laramie Project is as relevant as ever," 20 June 2018
The Miami Herald reports that prosecutors brought the hate crime charges Thursday.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Four face hate crime charges in Florida gay pride parade attack," 14 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hate crime.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of hate crime

1960

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Law Dictionary

hate crime

noun

legal Definition of hate crime

: 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