hate crime
nounDefinition of hate crime
: 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
Cameron Brunson Blake, 34, was charged with making criminal threats and vandalism of a religious property, which is a hate crime, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, "Man with links to neo-Nazi group charged with threatening to kill Jewish man and infant in L.A.," 30 Aug. 2019 Castaneda was out on bail from an arrest last month, but there was no indication the attacks were a hate crime, Garden Grove Police Chief Tom DaRe said. — Editors, USA TODAY, "Ferguson five years later, online extremism summit, Premier League: 5 things to know Friday," 9 Aug. 2019 Officers said last week that the shooting death was a result of an argument gone wrong, not believing the incident to be a hate crime. — Breanna Edwards, Essence, "Black Trans Woman Shot And Killed In Miami, Suspect Arrested," 9 Aug. 2019 There was no indication this was a hate crime, DaRe said. — Amy Taxin, chicagotribune.com, "Man ‘full of anger’ kills 4 people, wounds 2 in random stabbing and robbery spree in California, police say," 8 Aug. 2019 In El Paso, authorities were investigating whether the attack was a hate crime after the emergence of a racist, anti-immigrant screed that was posted online shortly beforehand. — Hunter Woodall, Fortune, "2020 Democrats Lay Blame on Trump’s Rhetoric for Shootings," 5 Aug. 2019 Authorities were investigating whether Saturday's El Paso attack was a hate crime after the emergence of a racist, anti-immigrant screed that was posted online shortly beforehand. — Anchorage Daily News, "20 dead, more wounded after gunman attacks Texas shoppers," 4 Aug. 2019 The case drew national attention in part because the family believed their assailant had been a white man, spurring speculation that the attack was a hate crime. — Mike Morris, Houston Chronicle, "Man charged in Jazmine Barnes' killing out on bond," 6 July 2019 More: West Chester quadruple homicide is not a hate crime, officials say More: 'My mom was shot for nothing:' Sikh family want answers in West Chester shooting Singh and his wife have three children. — Cameron Knight, Cincinnati.com, "'Heinous crime': West Chester police arrest husband of victim in quadruple homicide," 2 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hate crime.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more