persecute
Americanverb (used with object)
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to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment, especially because of religious or political beliefs, ethnic or racial origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
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to annoy or trouble persistently.
verb
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to oppress, harass, or maltreat, esp because of race, religion, etc
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to bother persistently
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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persecutivenessnoun
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persecutornoun
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overpersecuteverb (used with object)
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nonpersecutingadjective
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nonpersecutiveadjective
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nonpersecutoryadjective
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persecutiveadjective
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persecutoryadjective
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unpersecutingadjective
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unpersecutiveadjective
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persecutinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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persecutesimple
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persecutessimple
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have persecutedperfect
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has persecutedperfect
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am persecutingprogressive
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are persecutingprogressive
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is persecutingprogressive
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have been persecutingperfect progressive
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has been persecutingperfect progressive
Past
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persecutedsimple
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had persecutedperfect
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was persecutingprogressive
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were persecutingprogressive
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had been persecutingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of persecute
First recorded in 1400–50; Late Middle English; back formation from persecutour “persecutor,” ultimately from Late Latin persecūtor originally “prosecutor,” equivalent to persecū-, variant stem of persequī “to prosecute, pursue closely” + -tor; see origin at per-, sequence, -tor
Explanation
To persecute is to make someone suffer or to keep them in bad circumstances. In some parts of the world governments or military groups persecute, or punish, people for religious beliefs, often sending them to prisons or work camps. You can use the verb persecute to talk about abusive acts against a person or group of people. Persecute is usually used to specify the harm done to a particular group, as when a person is persecuted for his affiliation with a religious group. Those born of a certain race or culture can be targets too. Adolf Hitler became notorious for his orders to persecute the Jewish people.
Vocabulary lists containing persecute
Grade 9, List 3
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 1
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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:
It has many tools to persecute people who exercise or facilitate reproductive freedom within its borders.
From Slate ● May 15, 2026
John Adams pushed Congress in 1798 to pass the Alien and Sedition Acts, measures that allowed the government to deport and otherwise persecute critics of the administration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
“Throughout the Scripture, there are two kinds of leaders: those who persecute faith communities and those who protect them,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
"Crass content can be criticised if it offends you. However, you cannot have the state persecute and lock up people for offending your 'moral sentiments'," he wrote in a post on X.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2025
The people she chose, young and old, from the rich part of town or the more modest streets, did not individually persecute Cora.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
It must send an unequivocal message that the United States will not supply weapons to military and security services whose leadership persecutes journalists and activists.
From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2021
While Emperor Domitian persecutes the Christians, the aged apostle John has prophetic visions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2019
In the Bible, Saul persecutes Christians before he has a conversion experience on the road to Damascus and becomes the apostle Paul.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 11, 2018
When Americans hear about “tribalism,” they often imagine a faraway land where one ethnic or religious faction mercilessly persecutes another for generations.
From New York Times ● Jun. 26, 2018
West Point spirit persecutes Sigel with the utmost rage.
From Diary from March 4, 1861, to November 12, 1862 by De Gurowski, Adam G., count
“I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong.”
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
The Nigerian government also denies that Christians are being persecuted in the country.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Some had been granted the opportunity to stay after proving to immigration judges that they would probably be persecuted if returned to their homeland.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026
"Right now everything here is suppressed, everything is persecuted, people are sitting in prisons."
From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026
If it hadn’t been for Bruno, Copernicanism might never have received such adverse attention from the authorities, Galileo might not have been persecuted and scientific progress in Italy might have proceeded more smoothly.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
This is a declaration that faith is not on the side of persecuting the most vulnerable communities.
From Slate ● Feb. 27, 2026
Her internment made her fearful for her life as there was the possibility of authorities deporting her to Germany, where Hitler was persecuting the Jews.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2024
But they became giants in an era when employers were effectively free to pull out all the stops in blocking and, in some cases, persecuting union organizers.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2024
My Ukrainian Jewish parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were comfortably ensconced in the Midwest when Hitler began persecuting the Jews; I have no familial connection to the Holocaust.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2024
“Lance, have you heard the news? A messenger has just arrived to say that this girl who is persecuting you is on her way to court, bringing the baby. She will be here this evening.”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
