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

The mass shooting that claimed 49 lives and injured dozens of others—the deadliest hate crime targeting LGBTQ+ people in American history—still leaves a grievous mark, most especially in a city, state and nation besieged with new attacks on the gay community. —R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

Genco, who is from Hillsboro, Ohio, was arrested in 2021 and pleaded guilty the next year to one count of attempting to commit a hate crime. —Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 10 June 2026

This comes as the NYPD reported a 70% increase in hate crimes against Jewish New Yorkers in May compared to 2025. —David Ingber, New York Daily News, 8 June 2026

Authorities have not classified the incident as a hate crime, though Trent said the circumstances were troubling given the location and the nature of the materials that were targeted. —Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 5 June 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