martyr

noun

mar·tyr | \ ˈmär-tər

Definition of martyr

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a person who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty of witnessing to and refusing to renounce a religion

2 : a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle a martyr to the cause of freedom

3 : victim especially : a great or constant sufferer a martyr to asthma all his life —A. J. Cronin

martyr

verb

martyred; martyring; martyrs

Definition of martyr (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to put to death for adhering to a belief, faith, or profession

2 : to inflict agonizing pain on : torture

Other Words from martyr More Example Sentences Learn More about martyr

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Other words from martyr

Noun

martyrization \ˌmär-tə-rə-ˈzā-shən

\ noun

martyrize \ˈmär-tə-ˌrīz

\ transitive verb

Examples of martyr in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

But some Democrats decided to go further than that and to make Strzok a martyr - or even a hero. — Aaron Blake, chicagotribune.com, "7 key moments from FBI agent's Peter Strzok's wild House hearing," 12 July 2018 But some Democrats decided to go further than that and to make Strzok a martyr - or even a hero. — Aaron Blake, BostonGlobe.com, "6 key moments from Peter Strzok’s wild hearing," 12 July 2018 But the fact that June gets to move effortlessly between the perfect victim and a martyr is the kind of humanity that we have been trained to expect from white women, and white women only. — refinery29.com, "The Handmaid's Tale Still Has A White Female Privilege Problem," 11 July 2018 The team also restores delicate sculptures depicting Catholic martyrs made from wood and cloth that are often missing heads or arms. — Fox News, "AP PHOTOS: Peruvian restoration center rescues art from ruin," 4 July 2018 The Palestinian authority as a government entity pays people to kill Jews and Americans and holds them up to be martyrs. — Fox News, "Rep. Nunes on the House's Russia investigation findings," 25 Mar. 2018 For some, the shooting solidified Flynt’s position as a free speech icon, as a martyr for the cause. — Cincinnati Enquirer, "Read more from this Project," 13 July 2018 The death of Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian faith, had a similar theme. — Loren A. Yadon, idahostatesman, "Leaving the ‘stage of life’ to the applause of heaven," 12 July 2018 One needed to be big enough to hold all that black womanhood was supposed to be; lover, cook, therapist, mama, freak, co-conspirator, messiah, savior, martyr, while never getting too big. — Sonya Renee Taylor, SELF, "The House Next Door," 26 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

And the Islamic State militant group belatedly exalted him as a martyred disciple. — Rick Gladstone, New York Times, "What Is Terrorism? Attacks in Canada and Belgium Reflect Uncertain Definition," 31 May 2018 The letter goes on: There has long been a traditional narrative of blaming, vilifying and martyring courageous women. — Anna Silman, The Cut, "Celebrities Pen Powerful Open Letter Defending Asia Argento Against Misogynist Trolls," 13 July 2018 He was martyred by Emperor Nero in Rome for holding publicly to his Christian faith. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "The racist history of the Bible verse the White House uses to justify separating families," 15 June 2018 Carved wooden figure of St. Apollonia This statue, which dates from around the second half of the 19th century, shows poor St. Apollonia, a Christian from Alexandria, Egypt, who was martyred at the hands of the Romans in A.D. 249. — Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times, "This Exhibition Has Real Bite," 7 June 2018 Its origins can be traced to a Greek Orthodox saint whose three daughters were martyred. — Asher Fogle, Good Housekeeping, "The Real Meaning Behind 29 of the Most Popular Baby Names," 6 Jan. 2016 Yet at the height of the American occupation of neighboring Iraq, Assad encouraged Syrian jihadists to go martyr themselves by killing Americans. — Christopher Dickey, New York Times, "War Without End," 6 Apr. 2018 The end of Jesus Christ Superstar (spoiler alert?) shows the horror of the crucifixion, with Jesus betrayed and martyred on the cross. — Caroline Framke, Vox, "The electric spectacle of Jesus Christ Superstar Live, in one shot," 2 Apr. 2018 The Roman Martyrology, the official record of Catholic saints, lists several that were named Valentine, two of whom were martyred on February 14, but there are no existing contemporary records of these events. — Jeff Suess, Cincinnati.com, "The origin of Valentine's Day isn't what you think," 14 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'martyr.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.