sacrifice
the offering of animal, plant, or human life or of some material possession to a deity, as in propitiation or homage.
the person, animal, or thing so offered.
the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.
the thing so surrendered or devoted.
a loss incurred in selling something below its value.
Also sacrifice hit .Baseball. 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. Abbreviation: S
to make a sacrifice or offering of.
to surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to, for the sake of something else.
to dispose of (goods, property, etc.) regardless of profit.
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.
to offer or make a sacrifice.
Origin of sacrifice
1Other words for sacrifice
Other words from sacrifice
- sac·ri·fice·a·ble, adjective
- sac·ri·fic·er, noun
- non·sac·ri·fice, noun
- non·sac·ri·fic·ing, adjective
- pre·sac·ri·fice, noun, verb, pre·sac·ri·ficed, pre·sac·ri·fic·ing.
- su·per·sac·ri·fice, noun, verb (used with object), su·per·sac·ri·ficed, su·per·sac·ri·fic·ing.
- un·sac·ri·fice·a·ble, adjective
- un·sac·ri·ficed, adjective
- un·sac·ri·fic·ing, adjective
- well-sac·ri·ficed, adjective
Words Nearby sacrifice
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sacrifice in a sentence
That’s sort of a betrayal in some ways, and it’s a sacrifice in other ways.
How Gideon the Ninth author Tamsyn Muir queers the space opera | Constance Grady | February 5, 2021 | VoxThe sacrifice of her freedom—she spent 15 years under house arrest between 1989 and 2010—and the force of her personality made the 2011 power-sharing deal possible.
Leiva, a 33-year member of UFCW Local 770, said the celebration of essential workers should come with recognition of their sacrifice, which is unevenly felt across racial groups.
Essential workers get lost in the vaccine scrum as states prioritize the elderly | Lena H. Sun, Isaac Stanley-Becker, Akilah Johnson | February 1, 2021 | Washington PostThis team environment here — or just basketball in general — it takes sacrifice and compromise.
Kyrie Irving returns to Nets after seven-game absence, says he ‘just needed a pause’ | Des Bieler | January 20, 2021 | Washington PostAt the end of the game, which featured more sacrifices, Lubosh’s pawns just kept advancing until his opponent resigned.
Lubomir Kavalek, international chess grandmaster, dies at 77 | Emily Langer | January 20, 2021 | Washington Post
The courage of this husband and father is a constant reminder of how much some sacrifice for exercising universal rights.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015 | Movements.Org | December 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn fact, one the most sacred holiday for Muslims is the sacrifice of Abraham, known as Eid al-Adha.
They accepted the fact that their party would have to make deals and sacrifice priorities in 2015.
It was in Saint-Rémy where Van Gogh sends his brother word of how all his sacrifice may soon be for nothing in this life.
Decoding Vincent Van Gogh’s Tempestuous, Fragile Mind | Nick Mafi | December 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey sacrifice their shelter to contain the walkers—and Judith gets her first action scene!
The Walking Dead’s Midseason Finale Shocker: A Cherished Character Meets a Grisly End | Melissa Leon | December 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYour sacrifice shall be the agony of agonies, the death of deaths, and yet you'll find yourself unable to resist.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le FanuI must aspire to the agitating transports of self-devotion, in scenes of sacrifice and peril!
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterI'd sacrifice myself willingly, if that would put things straight.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood"And she would sacrifice Him and all his archangels to an epigram," thought Isabel, who was somewhat shocked.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonShe knew that the man's honor, his respect for his race and their struggle had brought him to commit the sacrifice.
The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
British Dictionary definitions for sacrifice
/ (ˈsækrɪˌfaɪs) /
a surrender of something of value as a means of gaining something more desirable or of preventing some evil
a ritual killing of a person or animal with the intention of propitiating or pleasing a deity
a symbolic offering of something to a deity
the person, animal, or object surrendered, destroyed, killed, or offered
a religious ceremony involving one or more sacrifices
loss entailed by giving up or selling something at less than its value
chess the act or an instance of sacrificing a piece
to make a sacrifice (of); give up, surrender, or destroy (a person, thing, etc)
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
Origin of sacrifice
1Derived forms of sacrifice
- sacrificeable, adjective
- sacrificer, noun
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
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