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

Shepard was murdered in 1998 in what is still one of the most high-profile hate crime cases in U.S. history, but his parents held onto his ashes for 20 years out of fear his gravesite might be vandalized. —Samantha Riedel, Them, 24 Jan. 2025

New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns said the perpetrators would be caught and that the police had put more resources into investigating hate crimes, as public frustration grows over the lack of arrests following previous antisemitic attacks. —Reuters, NBC News, 21 Jan. 2025

They were later found guilty of federal hate crime charges; the McMichaels received life sentences and Bryan was sentenced to 35 years. —Dakin Andone, CNN, 21 Jan. 2025

The men are all serving life prison sentences on murder, kidnapping and hate crime convictions. —Debbie Elliott, NPR, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

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