victimize
Americanverb
-
to punish or discriminate against selectively or unfairly
-
to make a victim of
-
to kill as or in a manner resembling a sacrificial victim
Synonym Usage
See cheat.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
victimizesimple
-
victimizessimple
-
have victimizedperfect
-
has victimizedperfect
-
am victimizingprogressive
-
are victimizingprogressive
-
is victimizingprogressive
-
have been victimizingperfect progressive
-
has been victimizingperfect progressive
Past
-
victimizedsimple
-
had victimizedperfect
-
was victimizingprogressive
-
were victimizingprogressive
-
had been victimizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of victimize
Explanation
To victimize is to make someone into a victim by harming or taking advantage of them in some way. A school bully might be known to victimize other kids on the playground. A victim is someone who has had something bad done to them, like the victim of a murder or a burglary. To victimize is to put someone in that position. A serial killer victimizes the people they kill. A swindler victimizes the people they cheat out of money. Abusive parents victimize their children. A football team that cheats victimizes the other team. When you hear about victimizing, you know someone has been hurt.
Vocabulary lists containing victimize
Super Bowl Blowout: Epic Vocab for the Big Game
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Tasting the Sky
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
"This court finds that you chose to victimize people that were peacefully gathering together," Salomone said.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
“May this announcement serve as a stern warning to those who would seek to further victimize those who have lost everything,” Bonta said in a release.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2025
He wants to pretend that he's the most perfect man who ever lived and that anyone who says otherwise has some secret agenda to victimize him.
From Salon • May 6, 2024
Microsoft said it discovered Russian cyberattackers leveraging the company’s conferencing platform to victimize espionage targets, including government accounts.
From Washington Times • Aug. 3, 2023
Fear and anger can make us vindictive and abusive, unjust and unfair, until we all suffer from the absence of mercy and we condemn ourselves as much as we victimize others.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
