persecute

[ pur-si-kyoot ]

/ ˈpɜr sɪˌkyut /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR persecute ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), per·se·cut·ed, per·se·cut·ing.

to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment, especially because of religious or political beliefs, ethnic or racial origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

to annoy or trouble persistently.

Nearby words

pers., persalt, perse, perse, st.-john, persea, persecute, persecution, persecution complex, persecutor, persecutory, perseid

Origin of persecute

1400–50; late Middle English; back formation from persecutour persecutor ≪ Late Latin persecūtor orig. prosecutor, equivalent to persecū-, variant stem of persequī to prosecute, pursue closely (see per-, sequence) + -tor -tor

SYNONYMS FOR persecute

1 afflict, torture, torment.

2 worry, badger, vex, bother, pester.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR persecute ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

per·se·cut·ing·ly, adverbper·se·cu·tive, adjectiveper·se·cu·tive·ness, nounper·se·cu·tor, noun

per·se·cu·to·ry

[pur-si-kyoo-tuh-ree, -kyuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˈpɜr sɪˌkyu tə ri, -kyəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjectivenon·per·se·cut·ing, adjectivenon·per·se·cu·tive, adjectivenon·per·se·cu·to·ry, adjectiveo·ver·per·se·cute, verb (used with object), o·ver·per·se·cut·ed, o·ver·per·se·cut·ing.un·per·se·cut·ed, adjectiveun·per·se·cut·ing, adjectiveun·per·se·cu·tive, adjective

Can be confusedpersecute prosecute

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for persecute

Putin would use such a treaty to persecute innocent Russians who have escaped his grasp by fleeing the country.
Putin Toys With Obama as Syria Burns and Snowden Runs Free|Garry Kasparov|July 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Not because I think that Obama called Doug Shulman into his office to tell him to persecute the Tea Party.
Boy, the Head of the IRS Went to the White House A Lot|Megan McArdle|May 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Yet one of the things it has oppressed is the desire of local majorities to persecute local minorities.
Religious Minorities: Wisely Skeptical of Democracy|David Frum|May 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But, then, lacking a solid core, projectors like Gingrich secretly lust after the identities of the people they persecute.
Republican Debate: Why Newt Gingrich’s Performance Should Disqualify Him|Lee Siegel|January 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST

We are also keenly aware of the fact that states routinely use a wide range of charges to persecute the press.
Has the Committee to Protect Journalists Betrayed Turkey's Journalists?|Oray Egin|December 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
You go on up to the igh an lofty bridge an persecute your vocation.
A Fleet in Being|Rudyard Kipling
So long as permitted, he never ceases to persecute the saints.
Notes On The Apocalypse|David Steele
They had no wish to persecute men who differed widely from them, but they would not associate with them.
A History of the Reformation (Vol. 2 of 2)|Thomas M. Lindsay
But we are persecuted just as severely as we persecute, ourselves.
The Truth About Jesus is He a Myth?|M. M. Mangasarian
The professor had intimated that he thought personal motives were being used to persecute the squatter.
Tess of the Storm Country|Grace Miller White

British Dictionary definitions for persecute

persecute

/ (ˈpɜːsɪˌkjuːt) /

verb (tr)

to oppress, harass, or maltreat, esp because of race, religion, etc

to bother persistently

Derived Formspersecutive, adjectivepersecutor, noun

Word Origin for persecute

C15: from Old French persecuter, back formation from persecuteur, from Late Latin persecūtor pursuer, from persequī to take vengeance upon

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for persecute

persecute

mid-15c., "to oppress for the holding of a belief or opinion," from Middle French persécuter "pursue, torment, open legal action" (14c.), from Latin persecutus, past participle of persequi "to pursue" (see persecution). Related: Persecuted; persecuting.

persecute

verb (used with object), per·se·cut·ed, per·se·cut·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of persecute

Examples from the Web for persecute

British Dictionary definitions for persecute

persecute

verb (tr)

Word Origin for persecute

Word Origin and History for persecute

persecute