as in to attack
to kill (someone) for refusing to give up a belief or cause
—usually used as (be) martyred
He was martyred for his religious beliefs.
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Recent Examples of martyr
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
2 Mar. 2026
Khamenei, an ailing octogenarian, frequently spoke of his willingness to be martyred, and regime officials have claimed that Israel already tried to target them last summer, when Israel and Iran traded strikes in what would become known as the Twelve-Day War.
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Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 May 2026
His death quickly turned him into a martyr, shocked Christian Europe, and forced Henry II to publicly repent.
—
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for martyr
Verb
Iran, with its sophisticated military, near-nuclear capability, proxy networks spanning the region and a regime now martyred by foreign attack, will likely not be the exception.
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Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
2 Mar. 2026
Khamenei, an ailing octogenarian, frequently spoke of his willingness to be martyred, and regime officials have claimed that Israel already tried to target them last summer, when Israel and Iran traded strikes in what would become known as the Twelve-Day War.
—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
However, in practice, the drama of this World War II spy saga seldom lives up to the filmmaker’s lofty aesthetic goals, resulting in a tale of torture and human fragility that flatlines long before its central martyr.
—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 May 2026
His death quickly turned him into a martyr, shocked Christian Europe, and forced Henry II to publicly repent.
—
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for martyr
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martyr
Verb
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He is accused of attacking a 27-year-old man with a beer mug inside the Hula Bar on Saturday night.
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Liv Morgan controversially interrupted Iyo Sky's coronation, attacking her and forcing a tap-out.
Noun
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It is also told through families, workers, immigrants, entrepreneurs, churches, communities, and quiet acts of sacrifice that rarely make history books but shape the nation just the same.
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The 55-year-old country singer frequently honors veterans and first responders while recognizing their sacrifices on patriotic holidays.
Verb
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What unfolds is a unique horror story that is unbelievably entertaining, psychologically torturing and incredibly fun.
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The brutal nature of her murder—she was believed to have been tortured, and her body was cut in half and provocatively posed—helped spark a media frenzy.
Noun
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The losers are the automakers still leaving accessories to the dealer, where the margin quietly bleeds away.
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That is a big risk investors take when trying to find the winners and losers within the biotech sector.
Verb
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Tournament favorites France, for example, have so thoroughly taunted and tormented their opponents that anything short of the final would seem an injustice at this point.
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In that movie, Depp played a young woman who is tormented after vampire Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) becomes obsessed with her.
Verb
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Robert Penn Warren’s 1946 novel is the story of the rise and fall of a Southern populist, the Louisiana governor Willie Stark—a fictional Huey Long (even if Warren downplayed the likeness)—as told by Stark’s wisecracking, anguished, Hamlet-y henchman, Jack Burden.
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Hong Kong is an anguishing example.
Verb
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The Washington Principles also recognize that many sales of artwork by Jews during the Nazi era occurred while they were being persecuted, or under duress.
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Representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine have been persecuted.
Verb
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Andrew Harnik | Getty Images A rocky start The anniversary rollout has also been plagued by problems on the ground.
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In the 30 years following the tune’s release, disappointment has only continued to plague the Three Lions.
Cite this Entry
“Martyr.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martyr. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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