hate crime

noun

: any of various crimes (such as assault or defacement of property) when motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group (such as one based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation)

Examples of hate crime in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The suspect in a Boulder, Colorado, attack on a gathering to support Israeli hostages in Gaza is due in federal court in an initial appearance on a hate crime charge. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 7 June 2025

The suspect accused of injuring over a dozen people after throwing Molotov cocktails into a crowd of peaceful pro-Israel demonstrators last weekend appeared in federal court in Denver Friday to face a federal hate crime charge. —Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2025

The Egyptian man accused of carrying out an antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, appeared in court Friday afternoon on a federal hate crime charge related to the attack that left several people injured. —Jeremy Harlan, CNN Money, 6 June 2025

However, he has not been charged with a hate crime. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 5 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hate crime

• aforetime
• allozyme
• anytime
• christmastime
• cybercrime
• dinnertime
• guggenheim
• isozyme
• lysozyme
• maritime
• mesenchyme
• overtime

Kids Definition

hate crime

noun

plural hate crimes

: any of various crimes (as assault) when motivated by hostility to the victim based on social characteristics (as color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin)

Legal Definition

hate crime

noun

: a crime that violates the victim's civil rights and that is motivated by hostility to the victim's race, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender