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

County Commission on Human Relations said there were 1,355 reported hate crime victims in the county during 2024, a mere 1% decrease from the prior year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

In a statement, Supt Owen Renowden, the Met's hate crime lead, said: "We're adapting our approach to improve both the speed and quality of our response, while strengthening outcomes for victims."

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

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

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

From Barron's ● May 18, 2026

I can see Patrice is as relieved as I am to hear Ms. Simon speak so forcefully and call it a hate crime.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh