sacrifice

[ sak-ruh-fahys ]

/ ˈsæk rəˌfaɪs /

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See synonyms for: sacrifice / sacrificed / sacrifices / sacrificing on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

verb (used with object), sac·ri·ficed, sac·ri·fic·ing.

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.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR sacrifice

8 relinquish, forgo, renounce.

See synonyms for sacrifice on Thesaurus.com

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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

sac·ri·fice·a·ble, adjectivesac·ri·fic·er, nounnon·sac·ri·fice, nounnon·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, adjectiveun·sac·ri·ficed, adjectiveun·sac·ri·fic·ing, adjectivewell-sac·ri·ficed, adjective

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

How to use sacrifice in a sentence

Unfortunately, the last month has changed the sacrifices we must make to try to avoid the coronavirus.
Why Even A Small Thanksgiving Is Dangerous|Maggie Koerth (maggie.koerth-baker@fivethirtyeight.com)|November 20, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
To express national gratitude requires rewarding national service as part of the social contract in exchange for sacrifice.
Veterans Day is a time to consider how to reward front-line covid-19 workers|James Grossman, Laura McEnaney|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
I know they’re itching to go see people, just like regular students, but you’ve got to make sacrifices in order to do what you want to do.
Pickup games, one-on-one and a wedding: How Virginia basketball spent the pandemic|Gene Wang|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
They don’t want to be watched over or babysat or told what to do, and I can understand that, but I’d like to believe we’re still capable of making a communal sacrifice.
‘Election Day is over, and guess what?’|Eli Saslow|November 9, 2020|Washington Post

There are still some solid options if you need to save cash, but you’ll more than likely find yourself making a couple of sacrifices.
Best wireless earbuds: Five things to consider|PopSci Commerce Team|October 30, 2020|Popular-Science
The Good Wife leaves us wondering how many people have sacrificed their beliefs for their careers.
The Good Wife’s Religion Politics: Voters Have No Faith in Alicia's Atheism|Regina Lizik|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
According to Doha News, it was around this time that Al-Thani sacrificed his Supercomplication watch to pay for the debts.
The Mysterious Death of the Art World’s Favorite Sheikh|Lizzie Crocker|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
TT: Well, very brave people who have fought for gay rights have sacrificed their lives for others.
Joan Rivers: Our Last Interview|Tim Teeman|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Predictably, state funding for mental health services is sacrificed during downturns, like the Recession we just experienced.
Government Has Failed the Mentally Ill|Monica Potts|September 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As he was taken down from the dock to be driven to prison he was downcast, as anyone would be who was publicly sacrificed.
Murdoch on the Rocks: How a Lone Reporter Revealed the Mogul's Tabloid Terror Machine|Clive Irving|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was a very dangerous one, too, and sometimes lives were sacrificed in his efforts to capture or to kill this fierce wild beast.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
The money was sucked into the whirlpool; there was a speedy cry for more; and more was got and sacrificed.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
How bitterly she repented having sacrificed so much, out of a foolish sense of gratitude to his father.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
It is used in describing the operation of cutting in twain the animal sacrificed at the ratification of a covenant.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
They have levied war, excited rebellions, dethroned princes, and sacrificed millions for the sake of gain.
The Eve of the Revolution|Carl Becker

British Dictionary definitions for sacrifice

sacrifice

/ (ˈsækrɪˌfaɪs) /

noun

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

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

sacrifice

OTHER WORDS FOR sacrifice

Origin of sacrifice

OTHER WORDS FROM sacrifice

Words related to sacrifice

How to use sacrifice in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sacrifice

Derived forms of sacrifice

Word Origin for sacrifice