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

He was fired from Dior and ultimately convicted of a hate crime in a French court. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 3 Aug. 2026

His actions led to his firing from Dior, and he was eventually convicted of committing two hate crimes, resulting in a fine from the Paris courts. — Morgan Evans, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026

The incidents occurred amid a spike in harassment and hate crimes targeting Asians during the pandemic. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 31 July 2026

He was charged with a hate crime, malicious harassment and felony harassment in connection with the incident, according to the records. — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 31 July 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