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hate

v. · n.
US //ˈheɪt// UK //hˈeɪt// hate
  1. 1 to dislike intensely (v.)
    A2 Elementary

    to dislike someone or something very much.

    to feel intense hostility or aversion toward a person, object, or situation. Transitive — requires a direct object or a gerund.

    Example

    I hate getting up early when it is still dark outside.

    Example

    Many residents hate the new traffic system because it significantly increases their daily commute through the city centre.
    Pitfall
    I am hating this cold weather.
    I hate this cold weather.

    As a stative verb describing a feeling, 'hate' is rarely used in the continuous (-ing) form.

  2. 2 the feeling of hatred (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a very strong feeling of dislike or anger.

    an intense feeling of dislike or hostility. Often uncountable when referring to the emotion in general.

    Example

    The two countries have a long history of hate and conflict.

    Example

    The speech was filled with hate, further dividing a community that was already struggling with social tension.
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  1. 3 online abuse (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Slang Computing

    mean or angry comments sent to someone on the internet.

    negative feedback, harassment, or abusive behaviour directed at a person or group online. Often used metonymically in digital contexts.

    Example

    She decided to delete her social media account after receiving so much hate.

    Example

    The athlete faced a wave of online hate following the team's unexpected loss in the championship final.
  2. 4 something you dislike (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a person or thing that you dislike very much.

    a person or thing that is the object of intense dislike. Often used in the phrase 'pet hate' in British English.

    Example

    Loud chewing is my biggest pet hate when I am trying to eat.

    Example

    The politician became a figure of hate for those who felt betrayed by the sudden change in policy.
  3. 5 to criticize unfairly (v.)
    C1 Advanced Informal Slang

    to say mean things about someone, often because you are jealous.

    to express unmerited or excessive criticism toward someone. Frequently appears in the phrasal verb 'hate on'.

    Example

    Don't hate on him just because he won the prize.

    Example

    Critics began to hate on the director's new style, claiming it was too commercial compared to her earlier work.

    Usage

    Often used as the phrasal verb 'hate on' followed by a person or thing.
Origin

From Middle English hate (noun), probably from Old English hatian (“to hate”, verb) and/or Old Norse hatr (“hate”, noun). Merged with Middle English hete, hæte, heate (“hate”), from Old English hete, from Proto-Germanic hataz (“hatred, hate”), from Proto-Indo-European keh₂d- (“strong emotion”). Cognate with Dutch haat (“hatred”), German Hass, Haß (“hate, hatred”), Luxembourgish Haass (“hate, hatred”), Vilamovian hās (“hate, hatred”), Yiddish האַס (has, “hatred”), Danish had (“hate, hatred”), Faroese, Icelandic hatur (“hatred, spite, aversion”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish hat (“hate, hatred”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐍄𐌹𐍃 (hatis, “hate, wrath”). The verb is from Middle English haten, from Old English hatian (“to hate, treat as an enemy”), from Proto-West Germanic hatēn, from Proto-Germanic hatāną (“to hate”), from Proto-Germanic *hataz, from the same root as above.

Word family
Idioms1 entry

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