/ heɪt; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb (not used in the progressive tenses)
1.
to dislike sth very much :
[ vn ]
I hate spinach.
I hate Monday mornings.
I hate it when people cry.
He hated it in France (= did not like the life there) .
I hate the way she always criticizes me.
[ v -ing ]
She hates making mistakes.
[ v to inf ]
He hated to be away from his family.
She's a person who hates to make mistakes.
I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn't been there.
[ vn -ing ]
He hates anyone parking in his space.
[ vn to inf ]
She would have hated him to see how her hands shook.
I'd hate anything to happen to him.
2.
[ vn ] hate sb (for sth) to dislike sb very much :
The two boys hated each other.
I hated myself for feeling jealous.
He was her most hated enemy.
3.
[ no passive ] [ v to inf ] used when saying sth that you would prefer not to have to say, or when politely asking to do sth :
I hate to say it , but I don't think their marriage will last.
I hate to trouble you, but could I use your phone?
► hater noun :
I'm not a woman hater, I just don't like Joan.
•
IDIOMS
- hate sb's guts
■ noun
1.
[ U ] a very strong feeling of dislike for sb
SYN hatred :
a look of hate
a hate campaign (= cruel comments made about sb over a period of time in order to damage their reputation)
hate mail (= letters containing cruel comments)
2.
[ C ] ( informal ) a person or thing that you hate :
Plastic flowers have always been a particular hate of mine.
•
IDIOMS
see pet adjective
••
SYNONYMS
hate
dislike ♦ can't stand ♦ despise ♦ can't bear ♦ loathe ♦ detest
All these words mean to have a strong feeling of dislike for sb/sth.
hate
to have a strong feeling of dislike for sb/sth.
NOTE
Although hate is generally a very strong verb, it is also commonly used in spoken or informal English to talk about people or things that you dislike in a less important way, for example a particular type of food:
He hates violence in any form.
•
I've always hated cabbage.
dislike
( rather formal ) to not like sb/sth.
NOTE
Dislike is a rather formal word; it is less formal, and more usual, to say that you don't like sb/sth, especially in spoken English:
I don't like it when you phone me so late at night.
can't stand
( rather informal ) used to emphasize that you really do not like sb / sth:
I can't stand his brother.
•
She couldn't stand being kept waiting.
despise
to dislike and have no respect for sb / sth:
He despised himself for being so cowardly.
can't bear
used to say that you dislike sth so much that you cannot accept or deal with it:
I can't bear having cats in the house.
can't stand or can't bear?
In many cases you can use either word, but can't bear is slightly stronger and slightly more formal than can't stand .
loathe
to hate sb/sth very much:
They loathe each other.
NOTE
Loathe is generally an even stronger verb than hate , but it can also be used more informally to talk about less important things, meaning 'really don't like':
Whether you love or loathe their music, you can't deny their talent.
detest
( rather formal ) to hate sb/sth very much:
They absolutely detest each other.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
I hate / dislike / can't stand / can't bear / loathe / detest doing sth .
I hate / can't bear to do sth .
I hate / dislike / can't stand / can't bear / loathe / detest it when...
can't / couldn't / cannot stand / bear sb/sth
I really / absolutely hate / dislike / can't stand / despise / can't bear / loathe / detest sb/sth
to particularly / thoroughly hate / dislike / despise / loathe / detest sb/sth
to heartily dislike / despise / loathe / detest sb/sth
••
WHICH WORD
hate / hatred
These two words have a similar meaning. Hatred is more often used to describe a very strong feeling of dislike for a particular person or thing:
Her deep hatred of her sister was obvious.
•
a cat's hatred of water.
Hate is more often used when you are talking about this feeling in a general way:
a look of pure hate
•
people filled with hate.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English hatian (verb), hete (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch haten (verb) and German hassen (verb), Hass hatred.