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hate crime

Definition of Hate Crime

(noun) A crime, often violent, motivated by prejudice.

Example of Hate Crime

Hate Crime Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: hate crime

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /hAYt krIEm/
  • British English – /hAYt krIEm/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /heɪt kraɪm/
  • British English – /heɪt kraɪm/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: hate crimes
  • In some jurisdictions, when a crime is considered a hate crime, the punishment is harsher.
  • A type of crime.
  • Also called:
    • bias crime
    • bias-motivated crime

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Additional Information

Related Terms


Works Consulted

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Cite the Definition of Hate Crime

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “hate crime.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 28, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/hate-crime/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

hate crime. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/hate-crime/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “hate crime.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 28, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/hate-crime/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“hate crime.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/hate-crime/>.