Meaning & use
hating on someone
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiominformalslang
Criticizing or showing dislike for someone, often unfairly or without good reason.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase with an object: 'They were hating on him for no reason.'
Patterns
- hating on someone
- hating on something
Why are you hating on her? She didn't do anything wrong.
He's always hating on other people's success instead of working on his own goals.
Stop hating on my new haircut; I like it.
Common combinations
- stop hating on
- Stop hating on me and focus on your own work.
- hating on someone for something
- She was hating on him for buying a new car.
- always hating on
- He's always hating on people who are more successful.
Synonyms and how they differ
- criticizing
- More formal and general; it can be fair or unfair, while hating on someone often suggests unfair or jealous criticism.
- bad-mouthing
- Similar informal tone, but it means saying unpleasant things about someone, often behind their back, not necessarily showing direct dislike.
Opposites
Commonly confused: hating on someone or hating?
hating on someone vs hating
Hating means feeling strong dislike for something; hating on someone is a slang phrase meaning to criticize or show dislike, often publicly.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hating on someone' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'hating on someone' means criticizing or showing dislike for a person. Option 1 is wrong because you hate on a person, not an object like shoes. Option 2 uses the past simple 'hated on', which is not the usual continuous form. Option 3 is too direct and unnatural; the phrase is typically used in the continuous form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hating on someone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.