victim

[ vik-tim ]

/ ˈvɪk tɪm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR victim ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who suffers from a destructive or injurious action or agency: a victim of an automobile accident.

a person who is deceived or cheated, as by his or her own emotions or ignorance, by the dishonesty of others, or by some impersonal agency: a victim of misplaced confidence; the victim of a swindler; a victim of an optical illusion.

a person or animal sacrificed or regarded as sacrificed: war victims.

a living creature sacrificed in religious rites.

Nearby words

vicomtesse, vicontiel, vicq d'azyr's bundle, vict., victa, victim, victimize, victimless crime, victimology, victoire, victor

Origin of victim

First recorded in 1490–1500, victim is from the Latin word victima sacrificial animal

Related forms

vic·tim·hood, nounvic·tim·less, adjectivenon·vic·tim, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for victim

And in so many of these events, the pattern of “blame the victim” was quickly in evidence.
In 2015, Let’s Try for More Compassion|Gene Robinson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The victim, whom The Daily Beast is not naming, asked what Williams wanted and the pastor allegedly “reached in and grabbed him.”
Exposed: The Gay-Bashing Pastor’s Same-Sex Assault|M.L. Nestel|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Men ages 18 to 24 enrolled in college were more likely to become a victim.
College Girls Are Less Likely to Be Raped Than Non-Students|Brandy Zadrozny|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Non-students (at 3.1 per 1,000) were 1.5 times more likely to be a victim of a completed rape than students (2.0 per 1,000).
College Girls Are Less Likely to Be Raped Than Non-Students|Brandy Zadrozny|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Breitbart forced her to correct a small part of her story, but witch hunts like these will leave every victim cowering.
The Right's Rape Trolls vs. Lena Dunham|Emily Shire|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sometimes the victim and the victimizer meet, the money demanded is paid over, and there the matter ends.
Danger! A True History of a Great City's Wiles and Temptations|William Howe
It may also depend upon the physical condition of the victim at the time the venom enters into the system.
Birds and Nature Vol. 9 No. 2 [February 1901]|Various
Cuchillo fearing that his victim might escape him, now wished more than ever that he should join the expedition.
Wood Rangers|Mayne Reid
Some such communication as this had been made, and he had been the victim of it.
Kept in the Dark|Anthony Trollope
She fixed her eyes upon the victim of her husband's extortion, and in an instant they were filled with tears.
Fardorougha, The Miser|William Carleton

British Dictionary definitions for victim

victim

/ (ˈvɪktɪm) /

noun

a person or thing that suffers harm, death, etc, from another or from some adverse act, circumstance, etcvictims of tyranny

a person who is tricked or swindled; dupe

a living person or animal sacrificed in a religious rite

Word Origin for victim

C15: from Latin victima

usage

Using the word victim or victims in relation to chronic illness or disability is often considered demeaning and disempowering. Alternative phrases such as who experiences, who has been diagnosed with, or simply with and then the name of the disability or illness, can be used instead

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

victim

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of victim

Related forms

Examples from the Web for victim

British Dictionary definitions for victim

victim

noun

Word Origin for victim

usage