crucify
Americanverb (used with object)
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crucifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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crucified,
past participle, past
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crucifying
present participle
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to put to death by nailing or binding the hands and feet to a cross.
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to treat with gross injustice; persecute; torment; torture.
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to subdue (passion, sin, etc.).
verb
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to put to death by crucifixion
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slang to defeat, ridicule, etc, totally
the critics crucified his performance
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to treat very cruelly; torment
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to subdue (passion, lust, etc); mortify
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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crucifysimple
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crucifiessimple
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have crucifiedperfect
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has crucifiedperfect
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am crucifyingprogressive
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are crucifyingprogressive
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is crucifyingprogressive
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have been crucifyingperfect progressive
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has been crucifyingperfect progressive
Past
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crucifiedsimple
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had crucifiedperfect
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was crucifyingprogressive
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were crucifyingprogressive
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had been crucifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crucify
Middle English crucifien < Anglo-French, Old French crucifier < Latin crucifīgere, equivalent to Latin cruci- (stem of crux ) cross + fīgere to fix, bind fast
Vocabulary lists containing crucify
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:
She said she’s careful about talking about her symptoms or posting online about them because “If you say one thing on social media that you got some kind of symptom they would crucify me.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 1, 2024
“I told him: ‘I’m praying for you but we need you, so don’t crucify yourself,’” the sister, Ms. Syombua, said.
From New York Times ● May 14, 2023
"We have had parents say they want their child to go to pre-school but it would crucify them financially," she added.
From BBC ● May 10, 2023
And to explain his reasoning, Biden used this phrase: “Never crucify yourself on a small cross.”
From Slate ● May 24, 2021
“Finnegan’s here. He’ll crucify me if it looks like I’m not working.”
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
I was born for the purpose that crucifies your mind,
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2023
James Glickson New York City It is sacrificial slaughter when society crucifies its best leaders on a cross of impossibly high standards.
From Time Magazine Archive
He crucifies the natural life with Christ, and creates the new man in Christ Jesus.
From Days of Heaven Upon Earth by A. B. (Albert B.) Simpson
The man who is afraid to follow desire crucifies his life and stunts his growth.
From Happiness and Marriage by Elizabeth Towne
All the benefits to society come from the few, and society crucifies them to show its gratitude.
From A Grammar of Freethought by Chapman Cohen
Israeli security forces imposed restrictions on access to the Holy Sepulchre in annexed east Jerusalem, where Christians believe Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and rose from the dead.
From Barron's ● Apr. 5, 2026
The crucified Christ has been taken down from the cross, but there is no cross, no ladder—only a single cloud and a tiny sliver of earth to ground the composition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
Courtois refused to be drawn on comments from Benfica president Rui Costa, who said Prestianni "is not racist" and deserves the club's trust after "being crucified", but reiterated his support for his own team-mate.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
“We were scared to death that in the transformation from actor to politician, he would just get crucified as a guy who did everything from script,” Spencer told me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2025
But as an expert on getting crucified by lecture, I wonder what approach she’ll take.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Outside the conference, protest organiser Caroline Graham told the BBC that the government's current policies were "crucifying" farmers.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2025
Drake's music sounds more in line with the current culture so persistent in crucifying women for their mere existence or agency.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2023
“It was the most crucifying pain,” Mr. Nadery recalled.
From New York Times ● Dec. 24, 2021
“The open/close strategy is crucifying businesses,” Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 21, 2021
The letter to the editor crucifying her husband had hurt her terribly.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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.
