intense dislike; extreme aversion or hostility.
the object of extreme aversion or hostility.
(in a video game) the focus or targeting of an enemy on a player character; enmity; aggro: As a tank, pretty much your number-one priority is getting and holding hate.
The Black Mage got hate, but it’s really his own fault for casting those level-four spells back to back.
As a tank, pretty much your number-one priority is getting and holding hate.
to dislike (something) intensely; detest
(intr) to be unwilling (to be or do something)
intense dislike
informal a person or thing that is hated (esp in the phrase pet hate )
(modifier) expressing or arousing feelings of hatred
hate mail
What is a basic definition of hate? Hate is used as a verb to mean to passionately and intensely dislike something or to dislike or be unwilling. As a noun, hate is used to mean an intense loathing. Hate has a few other meanings as a verb, noun, and adjective. If someone hates something, they dislike it so intensely that rage or disgust fills their body when they come into contact with it. A person who hates something is called a hater.
Hate, abhor, detest, abominate imply feeling intense dislike or aversion toward something. Hate, the simple and general word, suggests passionate dislike and a feeling of enmity: to hate autocracy. Abhor expresses a deep-rooted horror and a sense of repugnance or complete rejection: to abhor cruelty; Nature abhors a vacuum. Detest implies intense, even vehement, dislike and antipathy, besides a sense of disdain: to detest a combination of ignorance and arrogance. Abominate expresses a strong feeling of disgust and repulsion toward something thought of as unworthy, unlucky, or the like: to abominate treachery.
First recorded before 900; Middle English hat(i)en, Old English hatian (verb); cognate with Dutch haten, Old Norse hata, Gothic hatan, German hassen
Do you dislike getting up early on weekends? How much do you dislike it? So much that you'd stay in bed even if your favorite movie star came by your house to make you your favorite breakfast? In that case, you could say you hate it. Hate is a powerfully strong verb, and it's one you should probably save for those things you really detest, that you have a passionately negative feeling about. An exception is when you use it in a sentence like, "I hate to bother you, but I'd like another cup of coffee." In this case, you're not using the word hate literally, but in more of a polite way; you simply want to emphasize that you're not trying to bother someone while still getting what you want.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I hate movies that don’t give you time to think,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
He is said to hate imposing any assignments on his clerks that would require them to work on the weekends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
"There is no place in Moygashel, Mid Ulster or anywhere else for anti-Muslim hate, racism or the demonisation of an entire community," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
After contributing to Social Security throughout my entire working life, I’d hate to end up with an unexpected tax bill.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
“OK, here is the best apology I’ve got. And if you still hate me…well, then you still hate me.”
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
The county will also use the hotline to track incidents of hate- and bias-motivated crimes that may not necessarily be reported to law enforcement.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 27, 2022
The Stop Hate Hotline would also allow the county to more accurately track incidents of hate- and bias-motivated crimes.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 9, 2022
The number of hate- and bias-related crimes increased 34 percent — from 47 to 63 — from 2016 to 2017, according to data from Maryland State Police.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 9, 2019
"The scariest part is that it's usually the boy next door," says William Johnston, who directs the nation's oldest hate- crimes police unit in Boston.
From Time Magazine Archive
He absolutely hates children, even as the whole plot, somewhat obviously, steers him in the opposite direction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
"Absolutely not. My father hates football," the prince replied.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Trump has agreed to restore the sanctions on Russian oil and proclaimed that he hates to see all the dying and will do whatever he can to get Russia to the negotiating table.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
Glatzer: My own kid is 17 years old, he hates AI and finds it deeply uncool, and I think that is great.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
He hates his name—not Sandy, but Sanders—and everything that name means in this town.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
"When you're not respected, it's hard to respect the people that don't respect you... I'm the hated redneck, right? That's me. Not that I did anything wrong, I'm just born here."
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
I don’t think Graham Platner ever hated Jews.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026
For as long as I’ve been a journalist, which is a really long time, public entities have hated public records requests, even while claiming they don’t.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
In it, Vance credits Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk — who is even more hated than her dead husband — for convincing his wife, Usha Vance, to have a fourth child.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
Nor could I imagine the boy by the river and the joy of Togbe’s childhood anymore, because I hated the water, hated fishing and everything that went with it.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
A whole generation grew up under repression, economic collapse and came of age hating him, said Narges Bajoghli, associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
In this age when animus eats discernment like the rich eat caviar, the luxury we really can’t afford is hating the good guys just because it’s easy — even if they’re billionaires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
Among those surveyed was a Bolton head teacher who said arts subjects had been "systematically devalued" by the curriculum, which had contributed to some students hating school and committing truancy.
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026
“It is possible to love the individual who does the evil deed while hating the deed that the person does.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2026
Whatever energy I had, I poured into hating him.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
