hate

¹ American  

[heyt] / heɪt /

verb (used with object)

hated, hating

1. to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest.

   to hate the enemy;

   to hate bigotry.

   Synonyms:

   despise, execrate, loathe

   Antonyms:

   love

2. to be unwilling; dislike.

   I hate to do it.

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verb (used without object)

hated, hating

1. to feel intense dislike, or extreme aversion or hostility.

noun

1. intense dislike; extreme aversion or hostility.

2. the object of extreme aversion or hostility.

3. (in a video game) the focus or targeting of an enemy on a player character; enmity; aggro: As a tank, pretty much your number-one priority is getting and holding hate.

   The Black Mage got hate, but it’s really his own fault for casting those level-four spells back to back.

   As a tank, pretty much your number-one priority is getting and holding hate.

adjective

1. noting or relating to acts that are motivated by hatred, prejudice, or intolerance.

   a hate crime;

   a hate group;

   hate mail.

verb phrase

1. hate on to show hate toward, criticize, or belittle, usually unfairly.

   Don't hate on him just because he wins all the time.

hate- ² American  

1. a combining form describing something that one does but professes to dislike and that may indicate conflicting love/hate emotions, as in

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hate British  

/ heɪt /

verb

1. to dislike (something) intensely; detest

2. (intr) to be unwilling (to be or do something)

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noun

1. intense dislike

2. informal a person or thing that is hated (esp in the phrase pet hate )

3. (modifier) expressing or arousing feelings of hatred

   hate mail

hate Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing hate

• somebody up there loves (hates) me

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Usage

What is a basic definition of hate? Hate is used as a verb to mean to passionately and intensely dislike something or to dislike or be unwilling. As a noun, hate is used to mean an intense loathing. Hate has a few other meanings as a verb, noun, and adjective.If someone hates something, they dislike it so intensely that rage or disgust fills their body when they come into contact with it. A person who hates something is called a hater.

• Real-life examples: Children often hate vegetables. Enemies are people who hate each other. A person who hates dogs never wants to be around them. An environmentalist hates pollution and the destruction of rainforests.
• Used in a sentence: Mark hates Ashley so much that he won’t even be in the same room as her. 

Hate also means to dislike or be unwilling, usually to do something. This sense of hate implies that a person could be unwilling because of sadness, shame, or doubt rather than animosity.

• Real-life examples: Children sometimes hate to do chores so much that their parents yell at them. Still, parents often hate to say goodbye when their children grow up and move away from home.
• Used in a sentence: I hate to say it but I think my mother was right.

Hate is also used as a noun to mean a strong dislike of something. The word hate is the opposite of the word love and is often considered one of the worst things a person can feel.

• Used in a sentence: The Grinch was consumed by his hate of Christmas. 

Hate is used in a similar sense as an adjective to describe something that is related to or motivated by hate, prejudice, or intolerance.

• Real-life examples: The Ku Klux Klan is a hate group, meaning the members hate something specific or a specific group of people, in this case chiefly Black people. Social media websites forbid hate speech. An unpopular celebrity is likely to receive hate mail.
• Used in a sentence: Reading the hate speech about people’s skin color makes me sick.

Related Words

Hate, abhor, detest, abominate imply feeling intense dislike or aversion toward something. Hate, the simple and general word, suggests passionate dislike and a feeling of enmity: to hate autocracy. Abhor expresses a deep-rooted horror and a sense of repugnance or complete rejection: to abhor cruelty; Nature abhors a vacuum. Detest implies intense, even vehement, dislike and antipathy, besides a sense of disdain: to detest a combination of ignorance and arrogance. Abominate expresses a strong feeling of disgust and repulsion toward something thought of as unworthy, unlucky, or the like: to abominate treachery.

Other Word Forms

• hateable adjective
• hater noun
• self-hate noun
• unhated adjective
• unhating adjective
• unhatingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of hate

First recorded before 900; Middle English hat(i)en, Old English hatian (verb); cognate with Dutch haten, Old Norse hata, Gothic hatan, German hassen

Example Sentences

The singer told BBC Scotland News he only really developed an interest in music as a teenager, having hated piano lessons as a child.

From BBC

On Thursday, he announced plans to strengthen laws countering hate speech and introduce new powers to cancel visas or reject applications for those who spread hate, part of a sweeping crackdown on antisemitism.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry or hate of another group of people.”

From Los Angeles Times

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his government will crack down on hate speech following Sunday's deadly shooting at Bondi Beach that targeted a Jewish festival.

From BBC

Australia on Thursday announced it would strengthen laws to crack down on hate - including by introducing powers to cancel or refuse visas on grounds of antisemitism.

From BBC

Related Words

• animosity
• antagonism
• dislike
• enmity
• hatred
• horror
• hostility
• loathing
• pain
• rancor
• resentment
• revenge
• venom