-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
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
Police told him the incident didn’t rise to the level of a hate crime so they were left to choose whether to pull their child from school.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
Another act of vandalism — which the Davis police are also investigating as a hate crime — happened at a home not far from the first incident, in the 1100 block of L Street, on the same day.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 16 Apr. 2024
Among the ads running near pro-Nazi content seen by NBC News was one from the FBI seeking tips about hate crimes.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
Woodward has pleaded not guilty to murder with an enhancement for a hate crime.
—CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
Samuel Woodward, the orange county charged in the stabbing death, pleaded not guilty to the murder charge and denied the hate crime enhancement to the charge.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
So where does Idaho law stand on whether racially motivated threats and harassment constitute hate crimes?
—Daniel Schrager, Idaho Statesman, 27 Mar. 2024
In New York City, antisemitic hate crimes jumped 12.6% and anti-Muslim hate crimes rose 22%.
—Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024
Following his multiple outbursts, Galliano was convicted of committing two hate crimes in Paris and faced a fine equivalent to $8,500.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hate crime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1960, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to hate crime
Dictionary Entries Near hate crime
Cite this Entry
“Hate crime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hate%20crime. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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
More from Merriam-Webster on hate crime
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hate crime
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hate crime
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share