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Which chess term refers to an opening that involves a deliberate sacrifice?

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sacrifice

American  

[sak-ruh-fahys] / ˈsæk rəˌfaɪs /

noun

• sacrifices
  plural

1. 

   the offering of animal, plant, or human life or of some material possession to a deity, as in propitiation or homage.

2. the person, animal, or thing so offered.

3. the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.

4. the thing so surrendered or devoted.

5. a loss incurred in selling something below its value.

6. Baseball. Also sacrifice hit a batted ball, specifically a sacrifice bunt or sacrifice fly, that results in the batter being put out at first base while one or more base runners safely advance. S

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verb (used with object)

• sacrifices,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sacrificed,
  past participle,  past
• sacrificing
  present participle

1. to make a sacrifice or offering of.

2. to surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to, for the sake of something else.

   Synonyms:

   renounce, forgo, relinquish

3. to dispose of (goods, property, etc.) regardless of profit.

verb (used without object)

• sacrifices,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sacrificed,
  past participle,  past
• sacrificing
  present participle

1. Baseball. to make a sacrifice hit.

   He sacrificed in the top of the fourth with a fly ball that brought in the go-ahead run from third base.

2. to offer or make a sacrifice.

sacrifice British  

/ ˈsækrɪˌfaɪs /

noun

1. a surrender of something of value as a means of gaining something more desirable or of preventing some evil

2. a ritual killing of a person or animal with the intention of propitiating or pleasing a deity

3. a symbolic offering of something to a deity

4. the person, animal, or object surrendered, destroyed, killed, or offered

5. a religious ceremony involving one or more sacrifices

6. loss entailed by giving up or selling something at less than its value

7. chess the act or an instance of sacrificing a piece

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verb

1. to make a sacrifice (of); give up, surrender, or destroy (a person, thing, etc)

2. chess to permit or force one's opponent to capture (a piece) freely, as in playing a combination or gambit

   he sacrificed his queen and checkmated his opponent on the next move

Usage

What does sacrifice mean? A sacrifice is something important or precious that is given up for the sake of gaining something or allowing something to happen that is considered more important, as in I had to work hard and make a lot of sacrifices to achieve success. The word can also refer to the habitual act of giving things up in this way, as in Achieving success requires hard work and sacrifice. Sacrifice can also be used as a verb meaning to give something up in this way, as in I had to work hard and sacrifice to achieve success. Sometimes, the word is used in situations involving surrendering something to prevent something bad from happening, as in She sacrificed herself to save us. In all of these cases, the thing being sacrificed can be tangible, like a valued object, or intangible, like time or health, as in, I would never sacrifice my health just to make more money. The word sacrifice is often used in the context of religion to refer to an offering or to the act of offering something to the god or gods being worshipped. Such a sacrifice might be an animal that is killed. The central figure of Christianity, Jesus, is viewed by Christians as having been a sacrifice for the sake of human salvation. The adjective sacrificial is used to describe things that involve or are given as sacrifices. Example: There is simply not enough money in the budget, so we’re all going to have to make sacrifices and give up some things that we’re used to having.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsacrifice
  noun
• presacrifice
  noun
• sacrificer
  noun
• supersacrifice
  noun
• nonsacrificing
  adjective
• sacrificeable
  adjective
• unsacrificeable
  adjective
• unsacrificed
  adjective
• unsacrificing
  adjective
• well-sacrificed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sacrifices
  plural

Participles

• sacrificing
  present
• sacrificed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sacrifice
  simple
• sacrifices
  simple
• have sacrificed
  perfect
• has sacrificed
  perfect
• am sacrificing
  progressive
• are sacrificing
  progressive
• is sacrificing
  progressive
• have been sacrificing
  perfect progressive
• has been sacrificing
  perfect progressive

Past

• sacrificed
  simple
• had sacrificed
  perfect
• was sacrificing
  progressive
• were sacrificing
  progressive
• had been sacrificing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sacrifice
  simple
• will have sacrificed
  perfect
• will be sacrificing
  progressive
• will have been sacrificing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of sacrifice

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English sacrifice, sacrifis(e), from Old French sacrefise, sacrefice, from Latin sacrificium “offering made to a deity, sacrifice,” equivalent to sacri- (combining form of sacer “holy, sacred”) + -fic-, combining form of facere “to make, build, construct” + -ium noun suffix; see origin at do ¹; see also -ium ( def. )

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Explanation

A sacrifice is a loss or something you give up, usually for the sake of a better cause. Parents sacrifice time and sleep to take care of their children, while kids might sacrifice TV time to hang out with mom and dad. Though no longer used only in a religious context, sacrifice comes from the Latin sacra and facere, meaning "to perform sacred rites." If you've studied ancient cultures like the Incas, you've probably heard of "human sacrifice," where a person is killed in a sacred ceremony to please the gods. But thankfully those kinds of sacrifices don't happen anymore.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sacrifice sacrifices sacrificed sacrificing

In the end, their sacrifice may have been the only thing that prevented a wipeout of the whole delegation.

From Slate ● Nov. 7, 2026

In a Times profile on Skipp Townsend, Bennett, a onetime Rollin’ 60s member, said: “He is a Blood. He’s going into Crip neighborhood. There’s no more bigger sacrifice than that.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

“In this leaderless movement my sacrifice is minimal.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Navarro praised those countries making a "great sacrifice" to safeguard their threatened ecosystems -- but said not enough were following their lead.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

“Let us not sacrifice the future to our immediate need.”

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Unlike her opponent, Roy grew up comfortably in Monrovia, largely shielded from the sacrifices her family made to afford her an elite education.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

These sacrifices are real, but they pale in comparison to those endured during World War II.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

In 2012, researchers uncovered the first undisturbed elite Wari tomb, containing the remains of 58 high-status women, six human sacrifices, and approximately 1,300 artifacts.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

It’s tempting to extrapolate our successes or sacrifices and say, “I did it. Why can’t you?”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026

“We have each of us made sacrifices for this new North Carolina and its rights,” Jamison said.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

For Boulouque, "young people are acutely conscious of the weight of the debt and environmental problems" left by previous generations and have "the feeling of being sacrificed" as a result.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

LuxExperience sacrificed casual buyers looking for deals to target shoppers who spend tens of thousands of dollars on clothes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

For those with financial means, it was a kind of gilded servitude, in which the young sacrificed their waking lives to teachers who primed them for the concert hall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Those benefits should be weighed alongside the value of the unpaid care she is providing and the career opportunities she says she has sacrificed.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

I remembered searching through the wreckage of the giant bronze warrior she’d sacrificed her life to defeat, and not finding any sign of her.

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

To beat the luxury shopping slowdown, e-commerce company LuxExperience is sacrificing casual buyers and chasing the superrich.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

A single mum has said following government advice to stock up on emergency supplies would mean sacrificing her childcare budget for the school holidays.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

MarketWatch columnist Aditi Shrikant explains how a tighter budget, automatic payments and unexpected cash windfalls can shrink your balance without sacrificing your financial safety net.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

As such, a close-to-home comfort infuses “Fudge” with real tenderness without sacrificing any of Kiwanuka’s signature sonic luxuriance.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

“You talk about charm and beauty and sacrificing yourself to make things pleasant for people. I don’t believe you care a bit for that. You’re too conceited and stubborn and selfish...”

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

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