crucify
Americanverb (used with object)
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crucifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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crucified,
past participle, past
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crucifying
present participle
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to put to death by nailing or binding the hands and feet to a cross.
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to treat with gross injustice; persecute; torment; torture.
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to subdue (passion, sin, etc.).
verb
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to put to death by crucifixion
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slang to defeat, ridicule, etc, totally
the critics crucified his performance
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to treat very cruelly; torment
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to subdue (passion, lust, etc); mortify
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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crucifysimple
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crucifiessimple
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have crucifiedperfect
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has crucifiedperfect
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am crucifyingprogressive
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are crucifyingprogressive
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is crucifyingprogressive
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have been crucifyingperfect progressive
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has been crucifyingperfect progressive
Past
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crucifiedsimple
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had crucifiedperfect
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was crucifyingprogressive
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were crucifyingprogressive
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had been crucifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crucify
Middle English crucifien < Anglo-French, Old French crucifier < Latin crucifīgere, equivalent to Latin cruci- (stem of crux ) cross + fīgere to fix, bind fast
Vocabulary lists containing crucify
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Widower Reg Harris, 85, said giving up driving would "absolutely crucify" his lifestyle.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2025
“I thought they were gonna crucify me!” said Massry.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2024
She said she’s careful about talking about her symptoms or posting online about them because “If you say one thing on social media that you got some kind of symptom they would crucify me.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 1, 2024
Nazaryan seemingly was trying to crucify the author rather than giving a solid review of the book.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2021
“He does even worse things than crucify people,” Oscar tells us one time.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
I was born for the purpose that crucifies your mind,
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2023
James Glickson New York City It is sacrificial slaughter when society crucifies its best leaders on a cross of impossibly high standards.
From Time Magazine Archive
I insist that you are my wife, because it crucifies me to think otherwise.
From The Harvester by Gene Stratton-Porter
And the fact is, he follows desire when he crucifies it.
From Happiness and Marriage by Elizabeth Towne
The leader who preaches things out of comprehension arouses the kind of opposition which finally crucifies him.
From The Foundations of Personality by Abraham Myerson
Israeli security forces imposed restrictions on access to the Holy Sepulchre in annexed east Jerusalem, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and rose from the dead.
From Barron's ● Apr. 5, 2026
The crucified Christ has been taken down from the cross, but there is no cross, no ladder—only a single cloud and a tiny sliver of earth to ground the composition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
It’s probably a coincidence that O’Connor was 33 years old when he was cast in the role, the same age that Jesus Christ was crucified.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
Dafoe was crucified as Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ and cut off his ear as Van Gogh in At Eternity's Gate.
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2024
Its arms are stretched wide, its eyes are tilted toward the cloud-spotted sky in eternal supplication—and it occurs to me that all scarecrows look as if they’ve been crucified.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
“It was the most crucifying pain,” Mr. Nadery recalled.
From New York Times ● Dec. 24, 2021
"The open-close strategy is crucifying businesses," he added.
From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2021
“The open/close strategy is crucifying businesses,” Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 21, 2021
“Instead of out-casting and almost crucifying a personality, you say: ‘Okay, this guy is different, let’s act a certain way, let’s not treat him like a Roger Federer or like a Marin Cilic.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 2, 2021
The letter to the editor crucifying her husband had hurt her terribly.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
