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

Officials are also reviewing the case for possible enhancement under Florida’s hate crime statute, the press release added. —Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025

Irina Vernikov, a New York City councilwoman who was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm after bringing a licensed handgun to a pro-Israel rally in 2023 amid a spike in antisemitic hate crimes in New York City, thanked Bondi for intervening in the Hawaii case. —Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 25 Nov. 2025

Mamdani, who has pledged to protect Jewish New Yorkers against hate crimes, also drew criticism for his anti-Zionist views and history of pro-Palestinian activism. —Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025

Three Simi Valley teens who were charged with assault, battery, and hate crimes for a summertime brawl that took place in a movie theater parking lot were given varying sentences -- between seven and eight months in a juvenile facility. —Julie Sharp, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025

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