hate crime

American  

noun

1. a crime, usually violent, motivated by prejudice or intolerance toward an individual’s national origin, ethnicity, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.

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hate crime British  

noun

1. a crime, esp of violence, in which the victim is targeted because of his or her race, religion, sexuality, etc

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Example Sentences

Flavio Rolim, head of the police's cyber hate crime unit, told AFP that while not everyone consuming this kind of content turns to violence, there was a "process of radicalization," of men.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

In 2019, he took heat from other Jersey political leaders for quickly condemning a deadly local shooting at a kosher grocery store as a hate crime.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

He welcomed "positive steps" to fight antisemitism by the Australian government, which has introduced tougher gun and hate crime laws since the attack.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

“While there is no indication that the vandalism to the menorah was a hate crime, I was deeply disturbed that this historic menorah was damaged,” the statement continued.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2026

The term hate crime was coined in response to what was described at the time as an “epidemic” of neo-Nazi and skinhead violence, although in retrospect it’s unclear whether any such epidemic existed.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater