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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
See all Example Sentences for hate crime
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hate crime.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1960, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Hate crime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hate%20crime. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.
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
More from Merriam-Webster on hate crime
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hate crime
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hate crime
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