hate crime

American  

noun

hate crimes plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hate crimes
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hate crime

In California, reported hate crime rates are down 3.4% from 2024, but hate crimes involving racial or ethnic bias have increased by 6.2%, according to the 2025 Hate Crime in California report.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

He is credited with increasing social cohesion - and even a reduction in hate crime - as well as attracting a growing number of Muslim fans to Anfield.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

"We are actively investigating this as a hate crime," San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl told reporters.

From Barron's ● May 18, 2026

"I want to reiterate that no hate crime, no matter who it is against, will be tolerated. It is completely unacceptable and has no place here."

From BBC ● May 10, 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