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sacrifice

[ sak-ruh-fahys ]
/ ˈsæk rəˌfaɪs /
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See synonyms for: sacrifice / sacrificed / sacrifices / sacrificing on Thesaurus.com

noun
verb (used with object), sac·ri·ficed, sac·ri·fic·ing.
verb (used without object), sac·ri·ficed, sac·ri·fic·ing.
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.
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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 do1; see also -ium

OTHER WORDS FROM sacrifice

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sacrifice in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sacrifice

sacrifice
/ (ˈsækrɪˌfaɪs) /

noun
verb
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 gambithe sacrificed his queen and checkmated his opponent on the next move

Derived forms of sacrifice

sacrificeable, adjectivesacrificer, noun

Word Origin for sacrifice

C13: via Old French from Latin sacrificium, from sacer holy + facere to make
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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