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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

"Enforcement cannot continue to depend on the courage and personal sacrifice of individual nurses."

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

When it comes to ice baths, side-stepping short-term pain may sacrifice long-term gains.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

The result is that more people are able to sell their homes today without having to sacrifice a cheap mortgage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

The Dodgers have not dropped a sacrifice bunt this postseason.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

She also remembered Bob’s warning: This may not be the last sacrifice you must make to stop Gaea.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026

"If people want to live in the modern world with the television and internet then they have to have some sacrifices somewhere - even if it is a pylon in the middle of a field."

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

And they’ll learn from their “cadre” leaders, former special forces operators, about the sacrifices first responders made.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Part photo album, part teen bedroom, part house party, part altar and part art gallery, “East of the River” never sacrifices style to content.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

As much as I longed to see them, though, I knew that after all the sacrifices they had made for my dowry, I would shame them by returning home.

From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan

With the score tied 1-1, Garrett Mitchell walked to start the inning, and Cooper Pratt sacrificed him to second.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Cerutti, whose farm is an EU-certified protected area, is looking to compensate the lost earnings from the sacrificed paddies by hosting schools and academics, and offering guest accommodation.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

He also paid tribute to the emergency service workers' "bravery and spirit", saying many of them "sacrificed their entire futures to try and help those around them".

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the anniversary remains a special day to honor the memories of those who were killed and the heroes who risked, and often sacrificed, their lives to save others.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Some days Captain Reed sacrificed one of his meals to Harison, the ship’s boy they’d picked up in the Paradise Islands, or Jigo, the oldest man on watch, but they were all going hungry.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

The On3 college football reporter Brett McMurphy reported Portland State was paid a not-insignificant $590,000 for sacrificing itself in Eugene.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

However, “The Peace” offers a rare, intimate glimpse into the artist’s love life and the feeling of sacrificing basic boundaries in order to satisfy someone else.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

Amodei also said that any action to rein in AI should be done "without sacrificing commercial advantage".

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

And passengers on United Flight 93 fought back and forced the plane they were on to crash in a field in the middle of Pennsylvania, sacrificing themselves in the hopes of saving others.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

It wasn't bad but not worth sacrificing my own private frozen lake for.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

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