victim

noun

vic·​tim ˈvik-təm 

1

: one that is acted on and usually adversely affected by a force or agent

the schools are victims of the social system

: such as

a(1)

: one that is injured, destroyed, or sacrificed under any of various conditions

a victim of cancer

a victim of the auto crash

a murder victim

(2)

: one that is subjected to oppression, hardship, or mistreatment

a frequent victim of political attacks

b

: one that is tricked or duped

a con man's victim

2

: a living being sacrificed to a deity or in the performance of a religious rite

victimhood

ˈvik-təm-ˌhu̇d 

noun

Synonyms

• fatality
• casualty
• prey

Examples of victim in a Sentence

the victims of a hoax

He was the victim of an error.

Recent Examples on the Web

The victim was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2025

All five surviving victims were stable as of Sunday afternoon and their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, police said. —Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Oct. 2025

Another actress from that film, Lesley Manville, portrays Gein victim Bernice Worden. —Jr Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025

Firefighters were trying to put out flames, others were trying to find victims inside, Sanford's truck was still there and church members who'd just survived the horror were on the lawn, dazed. —Georgea Kovanis, Freep.com, 5 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin victima; perhaps akin to Old High German wīh holy

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing victim

• fall victim to
• fashion victim
• victim mentality

Rhymes for victim

• dictum

Kids Definition

victim

noun

vic·​tim ˈvik-təm 

1

: a living being offered as a sacrifice in a religious rite

2

: an individual injured or killed (as by disease or accident)

3

: a person cheated, fooled, or harmed by another