hate crime

noun

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)

Examples of hate crime in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office told NBC News on Wednesday that the incident did not involve a hate crime. — NBC News, "Woman charged with attempted murder in brick attack on 92-year-old man," 12 July 2018 The man in the video, Timothy Trybus, faces two counts of felony hate crime, a state’s attorney spokesman told the Chicago Tribune. — Ted Slowik, Daily Southtown, "Slowik: Trump, race and why it seems like a hate-fueled confrontation might happen anywhere, anytime," 12 July 2018 Local law enforcement reported 1,093 hate crimes last year. — Angela Hart, sacbee, "Hate crimes increase again by double digits in California," 9 July 2018 The Justice Department considers that charge a hate crime. — Mitch Smith, New York Times, "Racist Terror Plot, or Just Idle Talk? Kansas Trial Hinges on the Answer," 16 Apr. 2018 Prior to the second explosion Monday, Manley said police were working to determine if the bombings were hate crimes because the victims in the early morning explosion and the one a week ago were both black. — Alejandra Matos, Houston Chronicle, "Austin police investigating series of package bomb explosions," 12 Mar. 2018 According to police officials, Bowers currently faces 29 federal charges, including multiple counts of hate crimes. — De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "The Victims of the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Have Been Identified," 28 Oct. 2018 Jurors convicted Majors in February of first-degree murder and hate crime charges in the August 2016 shooting death of 37-year-old Khalid Jabara. — Adam Kealoha Causey, Fox News, "Oklahoma man convicted in hate-crime killing dies in prison," 13 Sep. 2018 Bones said there is no specific evidence that the stabbings were a hate crime, though police were still investigating. — Ruth Brown, Nicole Blanchard And Jason Lantz, Anchorage Daily News, "Attacker stabs 9, including 6 children, in Idaho," 2 July 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.

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Last Updated

19 Mar 2019

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The first known use of hate crime was in 1960

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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