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

A report into the issue by the Union of Jewish students in March 2026 called for new enforceable standards for how universities investigate and punish hate crime.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 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

In the last year there were 137,550 suspected hate crime incidents in total recorded by police forces in England and Wales, but less than a tenth result in criminal charges being issued.

From BBC ● May 5, 2026

“They said it was a hate crime, but he had family that wasn’t straight,” Richard’s friend Lidell said.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater