I. hate 1 S1 W3 /heɪt/ BrE AmE verb [transitive not in progressive]
1 . to dislike something very much OPP love :
It’s the kind of movie you either love or hate.
He hates his job.
hate doing something
Paul hates having his picture taken.
hate to do something
I hate to see you unhappy.
hate it when
Pam hates it when Lee calls her at work.
hate somebody doing something
Jenny’s mother hates her staying out late.
2 . to dislike someone very much and feel angry towards them OPP love :
Why do you hate me so much?
hate somebody for (doing) something
She hated him for being so happy.
hate yourself
I hated myself for feeling jealous of her.
hate sb’s guts informal (=hate someone very much)
REGISTER
In everyday English, people often say they can’t stand someone rather than say they hate someone:
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I can’t stand her husband.
3 . I’d hate (for) somebody/something to do something spoken used to emphasize that you do not want something to happen:
I’d hate you to go.
I’d hate for him to think I wasn’t interested.
4 . I hate to think what/how/where etc spoken used when you feel sure that something would have a bad result, or when an idea is unpleasant to think about:
I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t called the police.
5 . I hate to say it, but .../I hate to tell you this, but ... spoken used when saying something that you do not want to say, for example because it is embarrassing:
I hate to say it, but I was glad when he went home.
6 . I hate to ask/interrupt/disturb etc spoken used to say that you are sorry that you have to ask etc:
I hate to ask you this, but would you mind giving me a lift home?
I hate to interrupt, but it’s urgent.
—hated adjective :
the hated security police
—hater noun [countable] :
I’m not a man hater.
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THESAURUS
▪ hate verb [transitive not in progressive] to dislike someone or something very much:
Billy hated his stepfather.
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He hated the fact that his wife was more successful than he was.
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She hates people being late.
▪ can’t stand/can’t bear to hate someone or something. Can’t stand is less formal than hate , and is very common in everyday English:
She’s OK, but I can’t stand her husband.
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He couldn’t bear the thought of life without Nicole.
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She can’t stand being on her own.
▪ loathe /ləʊð $ loʊð/ /detest verb [transitive not in progressive] to hate something or someone very much. Loathe and detest are a little more formal than hate :
He loathed housework.
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Greg had detested his brother for as long as he could remember.
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She evidently loathes her ex-husband.
▪ despise verb [transitive not in progressive] to hate someone or something very much and have no respect for them:
He despised the man and could never forgive him for what he had done.
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They despised the wealth and consumerism of the West.
▪ abhor /əbˈhɔː $ əbˈhɔːr, æb-/ verb [transitive not in progressive] formal to hate something because you think it is morally wrong:
He abhorred violence.
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We abhor racism in any form.
II. hate 2 BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: hete ]
an angry unpleasant feeling that someone has when they hate someone and want to harm them SYN hatred OPP love :
Her eyes were full of hate.
hate for
Mrs Williams has spoken of her hate for her husband’s killers.
⇨ pet hate at ↑ pet 3 (2)
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COLLOCATIONS
■ phrases
▪ be full of hate/be filled with hate
People’s faces were full of hate.
▪ a look of hate
He gave me a look of pure hate as I entered the room.
▪ a message of hate
White nationalists are using the media to preach a message of hate.
▪ sb’s eyes are burning/smouldering/blazing with hate literary
Then he noticed the dark eyes, smouldering with hate.
■ adjectives
▪ absolute/pure hate (=complete and total hate)
His speech was an expression of pure hate.
■ hate + NOUN
▪ a hate figure (=someone who is hated by a lot of people)
After the incident, he became a hate figure in the British press.
▪ hate mail (=letters or messages expressing hate and threats towards someone)
Since appearing on the show she has even received hate mail from the public.
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THESAURUS
▪ hatred an angry feeling of deep dislike for someone or something:
his hatred of violence
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It is easy to understand their hatred for the invaders of their country.
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racial hatred (=of people who belong to a different race)
▪ hate the angry feeling that someone has when they hate someone and want to harm them:
His mind was filled with hate and the desire for revenge.
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Her love for him turned to hate, and she tore up all his old letters.
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Thatcher became a hate figure for the left (=someone who many people hate) .
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His enemies started a hate campaign against him in the press.
▪ loathing a very strong feeling of hatred for someone or something that you think is extremely unpleasant:
I felt nothing but loathing for him after the way he’d treated me.
▪ animosity a feeling of hatred and anger that often makes people behave unpleasantly to each other:
The animosity between parents who are getting a divorce can often cause great suffering to their children.
▪ abhorrence formal a deep feeling of hatred towards something that you think is morally wrong or unpleasant:
the abhorrence of terrorism by all decent people
▪ contempt a feeling of hate towards someone or something you think does not deserve any respect at all:
She looked at him with contempt.
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I have nothing but contempt for these people.