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

This training will talk about identifying LGBTQ+ hate speech, de-escalation tactics, hate crime definitions and statistics, available resources and more. —Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2024

In the year since California launched a hotline for reporting hate crimes, most of the calls were related to race or ethnicity, with 26.8% of calls citing anti-Black bias. —Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024

Last year's Pride month was also marked by safety concerns after the Department of Homeland Security issued a report warning that domestic violence extremists and people who commit hate crimes have increased threats of violence against the LGBTQIA+ community in recent years. —Shannon K. Crawford, ABC News, 17 May 2024

Once a victim reports a hate crime to CA vs Hate, they are given the option to connect with a care coordinator and follow-up services. —Emma Hall, Sacramento Bee, 21 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

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